New York

New York | Statewide NY

Has New York Already Missed the Marcellus Shale Drilling Boom?
March 9, 2011March 9, 2011

To answer the question posed in the headline with brutal honesty: Maybe.

Disturbing Observation #1: Yesterday the New York State Senate unanimously confirmed Joe Martens to lead the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The DEC, for those who don’t live in New York, is the agency charged with overseeing drilling in the Marcellus Shale—in fact oversight for all oil and gas drilling in the state. New York has been caught in a holding pattern on Marcellus Shale drilling for over two years, and New York’s landowners are growing weary of the delays in adopting new regulations for drilling in the Marcellus, meaning no permits for drilling in the Marcellus have been issued.

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Broome County | Meetings | New York

Audience Q&A About Marcellus Shale Drilling at Recent Landowner Meeting in Binghamton, NY
March 8, 2011March 8, 2011

At the conclusion of the meeting titled “Marcellus Shale in Our Community: What’s in it for All of Us” held on Friday evening March 4th at the West Middle School auditorium in Binghamton, NY, the audience of about 200 people was encouraged to ask questions of the panel. Below is a list of the questions asked, and the answers received. The answer to the last question of the evening was an eye-opener for MDN, and should be for any landowner in New York.

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Broome County | Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Meetings | New York | Regulation

Sizable Crowd Gathers in Binghamton to Hear Hear Expert Panel Discuss Marcellus Drilling’s Potential Impact on New York
March 7, 2011March 8, 2011

MDN, along with about 200 other people, attended a meeting titled “Marcellus Shale in Our Community: What’s in it for All of Us” on Friday evening March 4th at the West Middle School auditorium in Binghamton, NY. The audience was, for the most part, composed of landowners and those generally in favor of drilling in the Marcellus Shale in New York. The meeting was sponsored by the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY).

Read More “Sizable Crowd Gathers in Binghamton to Hear Hear Expert Panel Discuss Marcellus Drilling’s Potential Impact on New York”
Broome County | Landowner Coalition News | Meetings | New York

Join MDN in Attending a Landowner Community Forum Tonight, March 4, in Binghamton
March 4, 2011March 6, 2011

If 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 , 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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Broome County | Industrywide Issues | Landowner Coalition News | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

A Glimmer of Hope for Marcellus Drilling in New York State
February 25, 2011February 27, 2011

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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Industrywide Issues | New York | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide NY | Statewide PA

Gas Drilling Supporters Outnumber Those Opposed at Honesdale DRBC Hearings, Roundup of Yesterday’s Hearings in PA and NY
February 23, 2011February 24, 2011

Yesterday saw the first round of hearings by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), four hearings total—two in Honesdale, PA and two in Liberty, NY (afternoon and evening sessions at both locations). The hearings were for public comment on the DRBC’s proposed new extra layer of drilling regulations for Marcellus Shale gas wells drilled within the Delaware River watershed, which includes portions of Pennsylvania and New York where Marcellus drilling occurs.

Read More “Gas Drilling Supporters Outnumber Those Opposed at Honesdale DRBC Hearings, Roundup of Yesterday’s Hearings in PA and NY”
Cortland County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York

Hydraulic Fracturing Debate at SUNY Cortland, Ingraffea vs Siegel
February 21, 2011February 22, 2011

Yesterday, a debate on horizontal hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), the process used to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale, was held on the campus of the State University of New York at Cortland. “Debating the Pros and Cons of Gas Drilling” featured Professor Anthony R. Ingraffea from Cornell University on the anti-drilling side, and Professor Donald Siegel from Syracuse University on the pro-drilling side. Unfortunately MDN could not be in attendance. Since those opposed to drilling focus almost exclusively on the issue of fracking, one would expect this event to be heavily covered by the media. But checking news sources in the Binghamton, Cortland, Syracuse and Ithaca areas finds only a single report from all of the news outlets, from Binghamton’s WBNG-TV Channel 12 (embedded below).

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Broome County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Landowner Coalition News | Laser Northeast Gathering | New York | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Susquehanna County

PA Marcellus Gas Coming to Broome County, NY via New Gathering Pipeline
February 18, 2011February 20, 2011

The 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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Belden & Blake | Broome County | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | EnerVest | Lease & Royalty Payments | New York

Broome County, NY Landowners Sue Energy Companies that Try to Extend Expired Leases with “Force Majeure” Clause
February 17, 2011February 18, 2011

Many landowners in the Broome County, NY area who signed gas leases years ago are now receiving letters from the energy companies holding those leases that the landowner is “locked in” to the terms of the lease even though the original term has now expired. Why? The legal term is “force majeure,” which roughly means “due to circumstances beyond our control—the fact that New York State continues to prevent drilling—you have to stick with us for a while longer.” Because this involves contracts and interpretation of the terms of those contracts, it’s now in the hands of lawyers, or heading in that direction.

Read More “Broome County, NY Landowners Sue Energy Companies that Try to Extend Expired Leases with “Force Majeure” Clause”
Broome County | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation

Free Bus Ride from Binghamton Area to DRBC Hearings in Liberty, NY on Feb 22 for Pro-Gas Supporters
February 17, 2011February 17, 2011

MDN received the following email from the Joint Landowner Coalition of New York, offering free bus rides to the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) hearings scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 22 in Liberty, NY. Pickup locations include Binghamton, Windsor and Deposit, NY. The hearings are to accept public comments on the DRBC’s draft regulations that will govern drilling in the Marcellus Shale within DRBC-controlled areas. The DRBC adds an extra layer of regulation for drilling within watershed areas as part of it’s charter to protect water supplies. As Dan Fitzsimmons points out, it’s important for those who support drilling to make their voices heard at the DRBC hearings.

Read More “Free Bus Ride from Binghamton Area to DRBC Hearings in Liberty, NY on Feb 22 for Pro-Gas Supporters”
Chemung County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Steuben County

Anschutz Exploration Responds to Lawsuit Claiming Drilling Operations Contaminated Water Wells in Big Flats, NY
February 16, 2011February 17, 2011

Yesterday MDN ran an article about a lawsuit filed in Chemung County, NY against Denver-based Anschutz Exploration Corporation (see here). The New York City personal injury law firm Napoli Bern Ripka & Associates recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of nine families in the Big Flats, NY area who are experiencing problems with their water wells.

Read More “Anschutz Exploration Responds to Lawsuit Claiming Drilling Operations Contaminated Water Wells in Big Flats, NY”
Chemung County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Steuben County

Supposed “First Claim” Filed in New York Alleging Water Contamination from Hydraulic Fracturing Gas Drilling
February 15, 2011February 16, 2011

UPDATE: The headline and assumptions made for this article were based on lack of information and misinformation. The wells drilled by Anschutz were not hydraulically fractured, and the Trenton Black River formation is a limestone formation, not shale as stated in the law firm’s press release. Please see this article for more details: Anschutz Exploration Responds to Lawsuit Claiming Drilling Operations Contaminated Water Wells in Big Flats, NY.

A New York City personal injury law firm has filed a claim on behalf of nine families located in the Elmira, NY area against Anschutz Exploration Corporation, alleging that Anschutz contaminated their drinking water from natural gas drilling activities. The Anschutz drilling is in the Trenton Black River shale formation, not the Marcellus. So why is this news item included in MDN? Because it involves hydraulic fracturing of horizontally drilled natural gas wells, the same method used for drilling in the Marcellus. The Trenton Black River formation is about 10,000 feet down, the Marcellus “only” 5,000 feet down. So opponents of drilling will try to use this to paint all hydraulic fracturing, for any drilling (natural gas or oil, Marcellus or otherwise) as unsafe. Their aim is to ban the practice. The aim of the law firm is to shake down a drilling company and get as much cash as they can. The aim of the families affected is to get safe drinking water. Everyone has an agenda.

Read More “Supposed “First Claim” Filed in New York Alleging Water Contamination from Hydraulic Fracturing Gas Drilling”
Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Gov. Cuomo’s Nomination to Head the NY DEC: Will the Real Joe Martens Please Stand Up?
February 9, 2011February 10, 2011

On January 4, newly inaugurated Gov. Andrew Cuomo nominated Joe Martens to head up the all-important (to Marcellus Shale drilling in NY anyway), State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The DEC is charged with drafting drilling regulations, and once in place, overseeing those regulations. Joe Martens’ nomination to head the DEC was viewed by most who support drilling as a bad omen. Why? Let’s take a look at who Joe Martens is, and what he has said on the topic of shale gas drilling in New York.

Since 1995 Joe has worked for the Open Space Institute (OSI), first as executive vice president and later as its president. The OSI buys private land in states along the East Coast of the U.S. to keep it from being developed. As it’s name implies, it wants to keep large tracts of open spaces undeveloped and pristine. Over 100,000 acres in New York State alone have been “protected” by the OSI. Most of the OSI’s land acquisitions and easements (laws to protect land they don’t actually buy but control) have come under Joe Martens’ reign as president.

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Broome County | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation

Shame on the EPA for Changing a Meeting on Hydraulic Fracturing the Night Before it’s Scheduled (Updated)
August 10, 2010January 29, 2011

UPDATE (Aug 11): Below is my original post, in all of its flawed glory. A confession: I’ve made a mistake, and I prefer to correct the record right here, up high for everyone to see. Part of my “rant” below is based on a simple and stupid mistake I made–the original EPA meeting was scheduled for August 12, not August 10. I had it incorrectly listed in my calendar. So my original contention that the EPA changed the meeting the night before was plain wrong. Second, it seems there was a dispute between the EPA and Binghamton University where the event was to be held about the amount of money needed to handle a larger than anticipated crowd. The number BU requested went from $6,000 to $40,000 and the EPA resisted and did not have much of a choice but to try and change the venue. Yes, I can point out that the EPA has no problem wasting $1.5M of taxpayer money on a new study of hydraulic fracturing when they just did one a few years ago and hey, what’s another $36K? But I won’t. I’ll simply say, I was wrong. When you make a mistake in public, you need to correct it in public.

Read More “Shame on the EPA for Changing a Meeting on Hydraulic Fracturing the Night Before it’s Scheduled (Updated)”
New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

New York Senate Bill S8129B Passes – Moratorium on Marcellus Gas Drilling Comes to New York
August 6, 2010January 29, 2011

Tuesday, August 4, was a sad day for New Yorkers who, after more than two years of waiting, found out they will have to wait longer to begin drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. On Tuesday, the New York Senate voted 48-9 to prevent hydraulic fracturing (drilling) of gas wells in the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations in New York State. The moratorium, sponsored by State Senator Antoine Thompson (Democrat-Buffalo), prevents gas drilling for another nine months, until May 15, 2011.

Read More “New York Senate Bill S8129B Passes – Moratorium on Marcellus Gas Drilling Comes to New York”
Chenango County | New York

Oxford Landowner Coalition Merges with CNY Land Coalition
July 8, 2010January 29, 2011

Two very active landowner groups in Upstate New York have agreed to merge. Here’s the official letter from CNY Land Coalition President Brian Conover:

Oxford Coalition Is Merging With The CNY Landowner’s Coalition

In what promises to be a win-win for both coalitions, the Oxford Coalition, which has been under the leadership of Bryant LaTourette, is merging with our coalition. Serious discussions for this merger began about 7 weeks ago and after a number of very positive conversations, both sides have agreed that we can accomplish more for our common cause if we work as one.

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