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Huge OH Landowner Group Close to a Lease Deal for 80K Acres

The Associated Landowners of the Ohio Valley (ALOV) landowner group in eastern Ohio met on Saturday for an update on negotiations with energy companies to lease what may be the largest tract of land offered by a single landowner group in the entire Marcellus and Utica Shale plays. A deal is not yet done, but the president of ALOV, Robert Rea, says they may well have a deal done in the next several weeks.

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Northeast PA Landowners Discuss Forming Large Gas Coalition

Individual landowners and landowner groups are looking to organize into a large coalition in northeastern Pennsylvania in an effort to promote Marcellus Shale gas drilling in a safe, responsible way and to counter those who want to stop drilling. A small group of landowners met on Tuesday in Wysox (Bradford County), PA to discuss strategy. Tom Shepstone from Energy in Depth Northeast Marcellus Initiative (inaccurately referred to as Tom Shepp in the media article below), addressed the group on the need for large coalition of PA landowners—like the 70,000-member Joint Landowners Coalition of New York.

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XTO Energy (ExxonMobil) Invokes Force Majeure Clause in Contract with Deposit (NY) Landowner Coalition

In 2008, the Deposit (NY) Landowner Coalition, with some 500 members, signed the first large scale leasing deal in New York’s Southern Tier region. The least was signed with XTO Energy which has subsequently been bought by ExxonMobil. The deal gave landowners $2,411 up front for leasing, and a 15 percent royalty when drilling begins. The lease payments made headlines around the country in a deal worth $110 million. The original lease was for five years.

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Will the Fight Over Marcellus Shale Drilling in New York go Local? Legislation Pending in Albany Will Decide

MDN received an email alert from the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) concerning legislation that is actively being considered Albany (see the letter below). The legislation in question is the bill A3245 (full text here) which passed the New York Assembly on Monday, and bill S3472 (full text here), the Senate counterpart. The legislation, if passed, would give local municipalities the right to use zoning laws to dictate where drilling can and cannot happen within their borders. This is a major change in how New York governs the drilling industry—both Marcellus Shale drilling which has not yet begun, and existing oil and gas drilling. The language of the bill states:

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MDN Visits Anti-Fracking Big Splash Event in Binghamton

Big SplashMDN took a field trip on Sunday afternoon to visit Recreation Park in Binghamton, NY (“Rec Park” as it’s known to us locals). The purpose? To see the sights and sounds of the Binghamton Big Splash, a one-day concert with eight local bands, coordinated by the Finger Lakes Clean Water Initiative, designed to oppose Marcellus Shale drilling in New York State.

Of particular interest to MDN was a tent on the premises hosted by the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY), there to present the pro-drilling side of the story. MDN editor Jim Willis had the pleasure of meeting and talking with JLCNY President Dan Fitzsimmons and JLCNY Second VP Bryant La Tourette.

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Reminder – Central New York Landowner Coalition to Meet April 9th, Topic: Anti-Gas Activism Targeted at Town Boards

For landowners who belong to the Central New York Landowner’s Coalition (a very large coalition in Upstate NY), there will be an all-coalition meeting on Saturday, April 9th to discuss recent developments by those opposed to drilling. The coalition believes drilling permits are likely to start being issued soon, and those who oppose drilling are now “taking the fight” to local town boards in an attempt to regulate and prevent drilling. The coalition wants to address that issue.

MDN will be on hand to cover the proceedings of this event.

From the announcement:

CNY LANDOWNER’S COALITION ALL-COALITION MEETING

Saturday, April 9th, 2011
The Unadilla Valley Central School
4238 State Highway 8, New Berlin, NY 13411

The SGEIS is due out in 2 months, negotiations are heating up and the anti-gas activists are trying to sway your town boards to ban drilling.  It’s time to hear the latest info on our chats with the industry and to unite on a strategy to protect your landowner rights at the town level.  Our coalition maps will be posted and committee members will be available for your questions.  Plus we’ll equip you with everything you need to be sure your town doesn’t strip you of your landowner rights and privileges.

9:30-11:30 Meeting – Last Names beginning with A-K
1:30-3:30 Meeting – Last Names beginning with L-Z

This is an important meeting to attend.  If the state continues on the path to complete the SGEIS and allow permitting, and if we win the battle on the town level, our next meeting after this one very well could be the one meeting that we have been waiting for.  However, if we don’t come to this meeting to be equipped to win at the town level, we may be waiting for a long time to see any drilling take place in our region.  We look forward to seeing you on the 9th.

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Central New York Landowner Coalition to Meet April 9th, Topic: Anti-Gas Activism Targeted at Town Boards

For landowners who belong to the Central New York Landowner’s Coalition (a very large coalition in Upstate NY), there will be an all-coalition meeting on Saturday, April 9th to discuss recent developments by those opposed to drilling. The coalition believes drilling permits are likely to start being issued soon, and those who oppose drilling are now “taking the fight” to local town boards in an attempt to regulate and prevent drilling. The coalition wants to address that issue.

From the announcement:

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Slides from Recent Marcellus Shale Meeting in Binghamton, NY

Below are the slides shared at a public meeting held on March 4, 2011 at the West Middle School Auditorium titled “Marcellus Shale in Our Community: What’s in it for All of Us.” The meeting, attended by some 200 people, was sponsored by the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY). Speakers included: Scott Kurkoski, attorney for the JLCNY; John Holko, president of Lenape Resources; Richard Nyahay, manager of geology for New York State, Gastem; Michael Joy, attorney and oil & gas law professor at SUNY Buffalo; and Bob Williams, landowner and coalition member from the Windsor, NY area.

Among the many interesting slides: Several slides showing the economic impact drilling a single Marcellus Shale gas well would have on the Broome County municipality of Maine, NY. (Hint: Over $1M in revenue each year!)

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Join MDN in Attending a Landowner Community Forum Tonight, March 4, in Binghamton

MDN badgeIf you live anywhere near the Binghamton, NY area, Marcellus Drilling News editor Jim Willis invites you to attend a local meeting on drilling in the Marcellus tonight, Friday, March 4. Be sure to hello! I’ll wear a big MDN badge so you can recognize me.

And if you’d like to admit reading MDN Winking smile, I’d like to snap a picture of you to post on this website.

Below is the meeting announcement. MDN thanks Dan Fitzsimmons, President of the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York, for organizing the meeting and sending us the announcement.

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A Glimmer of Hope for Marcellus Drilling in New York State

Newly elected Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, will be a key figure (perhaps the key figure) in determining whether or not drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale goes forward in the state. His appointment of Joe Martens on Jan. 4 to be head of the Department of Environmental Conservation which oversees drilling was not a good sign to those who favor drilling (see MDN’s story here). But Mr. Martens seems to be signing a different tune these days.

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PA Marcellus Gas Coming to Broome County, NY via New Gathering Pipeline

Laser NY-PA Gathering LineThe Town of Windsor, located in Broome County, NY is about to get a new natural gas pipeline built that will connect gas wells across the border in PA (where drilling is happening) to the Millennium Pipeline which runs through Broome County. Yesterday the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) gave the green light for construction to begin*. The pipeline, being built by Laser Northeast Gathering Company, will be about 9.8 miles long on the New York side of the border, out of a total 33 miles.
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