Luzerne County

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    Encana Paying for Water Testing up to One Mile from Proposed Drilling Site in Luzerne County, PA

    To address concerns of area residents, Encana is paying for a baseline water study to be performed for any household up to one mile away from a proposed natural gas well Encana will start drilling in Luzerne County, PA this year:

    EnCana is attempting to establish a baseline for water quality and quantity conditions by requesting property owners participate in a water sampling assessment, which will be collected by Rettew Associates, a third-party environmental-testing firm based in Lancaster.

    Letters were mailed April 8 to landowners located within a mile radius of the well covering Lake and Lehman townships, and Harveys Lake borough.*

    Encana spoke to area residents at a recent meeting in the Lehman Township fire hall to describe the testing procedure and their desire to, “Take every safeguard to not impact your water.”

    *Wikes-Barre Times-Leader (Apr 21) – Residents worry about gas drillers contaminating water

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    Lehman Township, PA Approves Encana Plan to Begin Drilling This Summer

    Encana has gotten a green light from the supervisors in Lehman Township (Luzerne County, PA) to begin drilling this summer. The board approved an ordinance allowing the drilling to begin. According to Township Zoning Board Solicitor Jack Haley, the supervisors had little choice:

    According to Haley, all authority to halt drilling operations in any municipality in Pennsylvania lies in the hands of state agencies, not local governments. The township’s rules are “superseded” by the state Oil and Gas Act, he said.

    The state Supreme Court already reviewed two similar cases, he added, and decided the only authority Lehman Township has applies to what roads EnCana can use.*

    As for the motion/ordinance and what it says about the roads:

    [Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Ray] Iwanowski outlined six conditions to the motion: that EnCana put up $13,540 to maintain Firehouse Road through the total time it is used; EnCana put up $32,192 to maintain Peaceful Valley Road similarly; all traffic related to the drilling traverse on Firehouse Road toward state Route 118; no traffic will go on Old Route 115 in the township (near the school); EnCana provide adequate insurance coverage for the township, and that a legally binding agreement be signed by EnCana holding it to its commitment.*

    *Wilkes-Barre Times Leader (Apr 14) – Lehman Township says yes to gas drilling

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    PA Town Proactively Protecting Area Roads from Marcellus Drilling Truck Traffic

    The elected supervisors of Ross Township (Luzerne County, PA) are being proactive about protecting the roads in the township:

    In August, Municipal Solutions of Linden, Pa., visited the township and inspected the construction of the roads to determine weight limits. Supervisors started the process as a proactive measure to protect them from damage that might be caused by heavy trucks carrying Marcellus Shale gas drilling equipment through the township.

    Once weight limits are posted, it would require the gas exploration company to pay for any damages caused by trucks exceeding the weight limit.*

    Seems to MDN this is a common sense precaution that other communities may also want to adopt.

    *Wilkes-Barre Times Leader (Apr 7) – Ross Twp. addressing road protection

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    Another Short-Line Railroad Revived by Marcellus Shale Drilling

    Chalk up the resurrection of another short-line railroad to drilling in the Marcellus Shale. As MDN previously reported, the Wellsboro & Corning Railroad tripled its cargo traffic in just a few short years from drillers who need carloads of sand. We now have word of a rail line brought back from the dead in Luzerne County, PA due to Marcellus drilling activity:

    DURYEA – Investment spurred by Marcellus Shale natural gas exploration has transformed an antiquated, weed-ridden rail yard just north of Pittston into a state-of-the-art transloading terminal teeming with rail and trucking activity on an almost daily basis.

    Over the last year, Reading & Northern Railroad Co. sunk $100,000 into Pittston Yard, laying new track to accommodate 100 new rail cars and constructing a facility to store and hold up to 800 cars of sand to be used in hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” operations at Marcellus Shale drill sites throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania, said Reading & Northern President Warren A. Michel.

    “The reason for our success is that we are the largest facility in the region capable of handling hundreds of rail cars of sand. We now have 130 (sand) rail cars at the yard and we’ll be expanding substantially over the next six months,” Michel said.*

    *Wilkes-Barre Times Leader (Mar 26) – Old Duryea railroad yard taking on new life

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    Encana Holds Leases for 25K Acres in Luzerne County, Claims Every Well Drilled Creates 120 Jobs

    An article in the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader reveals this interesting information about Encana’s activity in Pennsylvania:

    Encana Oil and Gas Inc. – has leased 25,000 acres of property in Luzerne County. The land is mainly on the north side of Route 118 in Fairmount, Ross, Lake and Lehman townships.

    Encana so far has obtained permits for drilling one well in Lake Township and another in Fairmount Township and is seeking a permit for one in Lehman Township, said company spokesman Doug Hock. Hydrogeological studies are now under way, and officials hope to begin constructing wells by May.

    “For every well drilled, that creates about 120 jobs, either directly or indirectly…  The bulk of these jobs as we begin operations are done by subcontractors,” Hock said.*

    *Wilkes-Barre Times Leader (Mar 21) – Law, engineering firms will be the first for jobs

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    New Drilling to Begin in Luzerne County, PA in May or June

    According to an article in the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, drilling company Encana Energy Corp (from Canada) will begin drilling a Marcellus gas well in Lake Township, PA (Luzerne County) starting in May or June. At a recent town meeting, some residents expressed concerns about trucking activity on local roadways. More meetings are planned to answer local residents’ concerns.

    For more information, see: Times Leader (Mar 11) – Lake Twp. antsy about gas drilling

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    Engineering Firm in Luzerne County, PA is Hiring Engineers for Marcellus Drilling

    Wilkes-Barre Times Leader (Feb 23)
    Natural gas industry has engineering firm hiring

    More jobs are coming to the Marcellus Shale region because of drilling activity. An engineering firm in Plains Township (Luzerne County), Pennsylvania is hiring:

    Borton-Lawson has been advertising for seven engineering, design and surveyor positions. Chris Borton, company president, said the marketplace is unlike anything he’s seen in the 22 years since he and Tom Lawson teamed up.

    “It’s a tough economy. There are still things that are going on out there,” said Borton on Tuesday.

    The influx of companies exploring and drilling in the Marcellus Shale region has created work for Borton-Lawson and others. It’s opened a branch office in the Pittsburgh area.

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    M&T Bank Economist Bullish on Drilling in the Marcellus in PA

    Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader (Oct 29):
    Banker: Marcellus Shale to boost region

    M&T Bank economist and Chief Investment Officer James Thorne, Ph.D., addressed a recent meeting of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry about the impact of drilling in the Marcellus Shale in Northeast Pennsylvania. Among his comments:

    The Marcellus Shale gas play will be “a game changer” for Northeastern Pennsylvania, bringing a “huge economic injection” and making life here very different a decade from now…

    He also said,

    The region will get “a huge shot in the arm” from natural gas drilling. “The economic forecast is very bright.”

    There was also this interesting update about drilling activity in Luzerne County:

    Many landowners in Luzerne County have entered into leases with drillers, but no wells are yet operating in the county.