Marcellus Drilling News

NY’s First NatGas Career Expo Today in Binghamton

April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

If you live anywhere near the Binghamton, NY area, you might want to swing by Broome Community College this afternoon (April 11) between 3-7 pm. The Joint Landowners Coalition of New York together with Broome-Tioga Workforce NY is sponsoring the “Natural Gas Career and Education Expo” – reported to be the first such shale gas career expo in New York State. Over 40 vendors will have booths at the expo. (MDN was at first offered a booth, then the offer was retracted. We’re disappointed, but will still be attending to cover the event.)

There’s a full agenda of seminar sessions—see the agenda and list of vendors lucky enough to get a booth (embedded below). The event will be a great opportunity for those interested in jobs in the shale gas industry to gather and find out more. And yes, there are many New York residents in Broome County and surrounding areas who are landing jobs in the the drilling industry—because of the drilling that’s happening just across the border in Susquehanna County, PA and other northeastern PA counties. Thank you PA!

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Ulster County

Olive, NY Town Board Votes to Ban Fracking

April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

Another town in New York has decided to ban hydraulic fracturing—this one in Ulster County:

Chenango County | Lease & Royalty Payments | New York

TX Land Company Preys on Chenango County, NY Landowners

April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

Perhaps sensing an opportunity with an ongoing, now four-year-old drilling moratorium and the desperation of some landowners in New York State, a Texas-based land company is soliciting property owners in Chenango County, NY to purchase a 50 percent share of their mineral rights for $1,000 per acre. While it may technically be legal, county officials warn landowners that such a deal will damage the value of their property:

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Public Opinion

Fox News Poll: Does Fracking Pollute Well Water?

April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

The Fox News website is currently running a poll which asks the question: Do you believe ‘fracking’ pollutes well water? Head on over and vote.

Here are the results so far, as of early Wednesday morning:

New PA Bill Would Require Real-Time Monitoring of Gas Wells

April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

On Monday, Pennsylvania State Representative Duane Milne, a Republican from Chester, PA (near Philly) held a press conference in his district to announce new Marcellus Shale legislation he will soon introduce. The legislation would require all natural gas wells—wells yet to be drilled and wells already drilled—to install real-time safety monitoring using technology called a wireless mesh network (WMN). The bill will also include real-time monitoring of natural gas pipelines using WMN.

WMN is a series (or network) of wireless transmitters that doesn’t need the Internet in order to “talk” with each other. The transmitters would automatically alert the Department of Environmental Protection and county emergency management organizations if it detects a problem.

Economic Impact | Education | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

The Economic Impact of Marcellus Drilling on PA Schools

April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

Penn State Cooperative Extension and Penn State University researchers continue their research into how the Marcellus Shale gas drilling boom affects the state. Recently they issued findings from a survey of 940 school districts across PA (see this MDN story). Earlier this week, they issued another report in their Marcellus Education Fact Sheet series, titled: “Marcellus Shale Gas Development and Pennsylvania School Districts: What Are the Implications for School Expenditures and Tax Revenues?” (full report embedded below).

Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, Apr 11, 2012

April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading: