Safe Drinking Water workshop
http://www.americantowns.com/pa/hawley/events/safe-drinking-water-workshop
Safe Drinking Water workshop
Penn State Cooperative Extension will present a Safe Drinking Water workshop on July 13, 7:00 – 9:00 PM, Pike County Conservation District office, 556 Route 402, Blooming Grove. The cost is $7.00 per person or couple. Pre-registration, including payment, is required by July 9.
If you depend on your own well or spring for your drinking water, it is your responsibility to have your water tested periodically at a certified water testing lab. Water testing will be available for participants at a discounted fee through Prosser Labs.
For a printable flyer go to http://tinyurl.com/yycbns3
For more information contact Penn State Cooperative Extension in Pike County by phone at 570-296-3400, by fax at 570-296-3406, or send an e-mail message to PikeExt@psu.edu. Please be sure to include your full name and surface mail address.
Marcellus shale well accident reinforces need to guard water quality
http://live.psu.edu/story/47244/nw69
Monday, June 21, 2010
University Park, Pa. — The recent eruption of a Marcellus shale gas well in Clearfield County, Pa., has triggered investigations by state agencies. A Penn State Cooperative Extension water specialist said it also should remind Pennsylvanians that drilling can impact surrounding water resources, and well owners near any drill sites should take steps to monitor their drinking water.
The contaminated water spewed by the natural-gas well for more than 15 hours may have entered a local aquifer. Bryan Swistock, senior extension associate in the School of Forest Resources, said the state Department of Environmental Protection will probably check local streams for contamination, but it may be prudent for water-well owners living near the spill to have an independent laboratory test their well water. He said the tests for various contaminants have a range of costs and implications.
“Things like methane, chloride, total dissolved solids and barium are very good indicators and are relatively inexpensive to test for — most labs can do them,” Swistock explained. “When you move down into the organic chemicals that might be used in fracturing, the cost to test for them goes way up. The risk is much less for those, typically, so it’s not quite as important, but again, if you can afford to do that testing, that’s great.”
The Department of Environmental Protection ordered a contractor hired by the gas-well owner to stop some of its work in the state, hand over equipment records and provide access to employees as DEP investigates the equipment used by the company.
“They haven’t determined how the blow-out happened, but it appears that it allowed a lot of gas and hydrofracturing fluid to escape on the ground into nearby streams,” Swistock said. “That reinforces how important it is for people who live near natural-gas drilling to document their water quality before the drilling, so that if any incidents do occur, you can prove they happened. And that includes testing of wells, streams, ponds and any water resources that you’re concerned about before the drilling occurs.
“It’s hard to document anything if you don’t have any pre-existing data,” he added. “It’s important that homeowners have an unbiased expert from a state-certified lab conduct the tests, in case the sample results are needed for legal action.”
Water forced into subterranean pockets as part of the drilling process dissolves many chemicals out of the rock, Swistock said, and may gather large amounts of iron, calcium, magnesium, strontium and barium, and small amounts of arsenic and lead. There also are enormous amounts of sodium and chloride as water dissolves chemicals left behind by ancient sea water.
Swistock said balancing frequency of testing with the proximity of the drilling activity is an individual decision for each well owner.
“Fracking is a very intensive industrial activity, and these kinds of incidents are going to happen,” he said. “They don’t happen very often if we look at the history of the industry, but people have to decide on their own how concerned they are and how much testing they want to go through. Certainly, water supplies within 1,000 feet of the drilling are considered at higher risk. Beyond that, it’s up to the homeowner to decide. If some people 5,000 feet away are concerned and want to get testing done, that’s really their choice.”
About 3.5 million Pennsylvanians get their water from private wells and springs, according to Swistock. He said residents who want more information on Marcellus shale gas exploration can find it online at Penn State Cooperative Extension’s Natural Gas website at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/.
Vigilance vital as gas boom envelops region
http://thetimes-tribune.com/opinion/editorials-columns/guest-columnists/vigilance-vital-as-gas-boom-envelops-region-1.843336
Vigilance vital as gas boom envelops region
Published: June 13, 2010
Natural gas will soon be the new anthracite coal for our region. Significant drilling is taking place in Bradford, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties, exploratory drilling has begun in Wayne County, several wells are planned for Luzerne County, and northern Lackawanna County probably won’t be far behind.
We’ve done – and will continue to do – a lot of reporting on the pros and cons of the natural gas industry. We will continue to advocate for tougher environmental standards and for a severance tax on the gas extracted.
We also feel that it’s important to get the gas industry’s perspective, and to get a better understanding of the drilling process. So we visited with officials of Chesapeake Energy in Bradford County and toured one of its active drilling rigs.
Matt Sheppard, Chesapeake’s senior director of corporate development and government affairs, and Brian Grove, director of corporate development, met us in Towanda and presented an overview of the development and production process for a natural gas well site.
The presentation reinforced that the industry will be a fixture here for decades. Conservative estimates call for a successful gas well to produce for 30 years. Some wells elsewhere continue to produce for decades more.
The drill sites are substantial. The well pad is 300 by 400 feet with a tower over 90 feet tall. The pad and supporting equipment, tanks and trailers cover about three acres initially. The tower, I was surprised to discover, has little to do with the actual drilling. It is 90-feet high because the drilling pipe is added in 90-foot increments, so the tower basically acts as a crane to raise the pipe into place over the well.
During the drilling period, which typically lasts 25 to 35 days, drilling is continuous , with a five-man crew and a supervisor always on site.
The safety and groundwater protection systems are impressive. No manmade system is perfect, but according to Mr. Sheppard and Mr. Grove, Chesapeake is doing its best to come close, and it exceeds industry and state Department of Environmental Protection standards.
Each well is equipped with a blowout preventer – a device made famous in the tragic BP accident that continues to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Sheppard and Mr. Grove are quick to point out that gas drilling is different from oil drilling – particularly off-shore drilling. Oil rigs have the same type of blowout preventer as natural gas rigs with one major difference: for a natural gas well, the blowout preventer is at ground level, 30 feet beneath the main rig platform; BP’s rig had a blowout preventer on the seafloor nearly a mile below. When the BP blowout preventer failed, there was no easy way to access the area.
On land wells, to protect groundwater, there are three rings of steel casing, with two rings of high-grade cement between them, surrounding the drill bore. This is to prevent any breach of the well where groundwater may be found.
The most controversial part of well-drilling is the hydraulic fracturing – or “fracking” – process. The gas is contained within the shale rock itself, so the rock must be fractured to release the gas. For this process, water is mixed with sand and pumped into the well under high pressure. The sand acts as tiny wedges to hold open the small fissures created in the rock to release the gas. Water and sand make up 99.5 percent of the fracking mixture. The other 0.5 percent is a mixture of 12 other chemicals, which are listed on Chesapeake’s website (see www.chk.com/media/pages/mediaresources.aspx and click on “Hydraulic Fracturing Fact Sheet”).
During the fracking period, which can last for several days, Chesapeake uses 5.6 million gallons of water per day. So, while 0.5 percent seems like a small amount, it’s actually 28,000 gallons of chemicals per day. At issue is how much of each of the 12 chemicals is actually used (specific chemical mixtures are considered proprietary and not disclosed) and what compounds do the combinations of these chemicals create. Compounds created by the combination of chemicals would have different properties and therefore a different effect on the environment if leaked.
Most of the fracking mixture (about 4.9 million of the 5.6 million gallons) remains in the porous Marcellus shale. The remaining 700,000 gallons returns to the surface in a “closed loop” system that then recycles the water and separates the chemicals for disposal.
Once the well is producing gas, the rig and most equipment are removed, and the gas goes directly into a pipeline system for sale to market. The well site is reduced from 3 to 1.5 acres.
Anthracite coal defined our region for generations. It’s the primary reason many of our ancestors came to this area. It left us with a powerful industrial history and beautiful architecture built on the wealth generated by coal, but it also left us with significant scars and environmental damage that we still deal with today, 50 years after most coal mining ended.
How can we ensure that our area benefits from the gas industry without being left years from now with environmental (and therefore economic) fallout? Any industrial process will create byproducts, some of which may be harmful. The key to protecting our environment isn’t eliminating the process, but ensuring oversight and accountability.
Natural gas will bring enormous amounts of money and jobs into our region. In coming years, despite the best safety systems that will be put in place, accidents will happen and the environment and groundwater will be put at risk. Hopefully, federal, state and local governments will have the laws and resources in place to deal with them effectively and protect our natural resources.
GEORGE LYNETT is publisher of The Times-Tribune. E-mail: publisher@timesshamrock.com.
Act now on new drilling regulations
http://citizensvoice.com/opinion/our-voice-act-now-on-new-drilling-regulations-1.841199
Our Voice: Act now on new drilling regulations
Published: June 13, 2010
The state Department of Environmental Protection’s assurances last week that the gas companies with drilling leases next to local reservoirs will be “very careful” not to spoil the source of our drinking water is not very, well, reassuring.
It is hard to have much trust in the energy industry while plumes of offshore oil taint the Gulf of Mexico, chemicals from gas drilling foul drinking wells in Susquehanna County and a well blowout in Clearfield County spews polluted water over prime forest land.
That same industry now holds leases to drill for gas in Marcellus Shale deposits within 100 feet of the Huntsville and Ceasetown reservoirs, which supply drinking water to 100,000 people in Luzerne County.
It is nothing short of shocking that there is no state law on the books forbidding gas drilling adjacent to a source of drinking water and no requirement that water suppliers be notified of leases so close to their reservoirs.
Still the Great Gas Rush continues as energy companies hurry to “drill here, drill now” while the Pennsylvania General Assembly stalls on putting proper regulations, inspections and taxes in place.
Our representatives in Harrisburg must act with more urgency to craft new rules for gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale deposits that underlie most of the state, and, if necessary, slow or completely halt the issuing of drilling permits until those rules can be enforced.
The public can’t count on the carefulness of energy companies to preserve our environment and water resources. That is why we have regulations. And in the case of Marcellus Shale drilling, Pennsylvania needs more of them.
Pennsylvania nat gas well capped after blowout
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0414919620100604
Fri Jun 4, 2010 5:36pm EDT
Pennsylvania nat gas well capped after blowout
* No one injured, no homes evacuated
* Well was being drilled in the Marcellus Shale
* Lawmaker renews call for tighter regulation on fracking
* EOG Resources is “investigating everything” -spokeswoman
By Jon Hurdle
PHILADELPHIA, June 4 (Reuters) – Workers capped a natural gas well in central Pennsylvania on Friday after it ruptured during drilling, spewing gas and drilling fluid 75 feet (23 meters) in the air, officials said.
The well, operated by EOG Resources Inc (EOG.N) in a remote area of Clearfield County, blew out at about 8 p.m. EDT (midnight GMT) on Thursday when a drilling team “lost control” of the well while preparing to extract gas, according to a statement from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
No one was killed or injured, and there were no evacuations because there are no homes within a mile (1.6 km) of the drill site but nearby roads were closed, and emergency management officials declared a no-fly zone around the site. Read more
Baker proposes bills on gas drilling, drinking water
http://www.timesleader.com/news/Baker_proposes_bills_on_gas_drilling__drinking_water_05-24-2010.html
Baker proposes bills on gas drilling, drinking water
Pa. senator says protection needed to ensure drilling doesn’t contaminate water.
By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
May 25, 2010
The state senator representing the Back Mountain is proposing a series of bills to protect drinking water sources from contamination associated with natural gas drilling.
Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, said on Monday that the chances of water contamination grow as drilling into the Marcellus Shale increases in Pennsylvania, and the proposed bills are in response to citizen and community concerns about the safety of water resources.
“Prevention and protection are preferable to crisis management and emergency response,” Baker said.
EnCana Oil & Gas plans to drill two natural gas wells in the Back Mountain – one each in Lehman and Lake townships – and a third in the Red Rock area in Fairmount Township, not far from Ricketts Glen State Park.
The well site in Lehman Township is less than two miles from the Huntsville Reservoir.
Although there are proposed water protection regulations moving through the approval process, Baker said state law has “more force.”
And as drilling proceeds on a larger scale, “area residents want answers that show responsibility being assured, rather than risks being assumed,” Baker said.
“Reasonable environmental protections will not discourage the development of this industry; they will help to make sure that unreasonable costs are not imposed on local communities and homeowners,” she said.
In order to protect aquifers and determine any adverse consequences attributable to drilling, one bill would require testing at three times – before drilling, at the completion of drilling, and six months afterwards – at three different depths.
A second bill would rule out drilling at sites too close to drinking water sources such as reservoirs.
A third bill would require the state Department of Environmental Protection to ensure that operators of wastewater treatment facilities are properly trained and sufficiently monitored to lessen the chances of human error creating a major problem.
Baker said some of the costs would be borne by the gas companies.
Oversight costs could be paid for through a severance tax, which is expected to be debated in the coming weeks.
She reiterated her opposition to any severance tax plan that would devote the revenue generated to filling a hole in the state budget rather than providing for community protection in drilling areas.
“The environmental and economic catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico underscores the crucial nature of taking all reasonable precautions and for being prepared for dealing with extreme situations when things go horribly wrong,” Baker said.
Steve Mocarsky, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7311.
Marcellus Shale natural gas fever is here, but are you ready?
Marcellus Shale natural gas fever is here, but are you ready?
Marcellus Shale natural gas fever is here, but are you ready?
Posted By Kristy Foster On May 25, 2010 @ 8:49 am
NEW CASTLE, Pa. — The time is not to wonder if it will happen, the time is to get prepared for when the Marcellus shale gas drilling will begin.
In western Pa., drilling has already commenced in just about every county from the southern border to the New York state line, and permits have been issued in Beaver and Butler counties. There are no permits issued in Lawrence or Mercer counties yet, but many expect it won’t be long until that happens.
Ask questions first
The public crowded into the Lawrence County Community Action Partnership Building May 20 to learn more about Marcellus shale drilling at an event coordinated by Penn State Cooperative Extension.
Everyone who made a presentation at the workshop had one common statement: Hire an attorney before signing any type of agreement or lease with a gas company.
Drilling increase
The Pa. Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Oil and Gas Management, is reporting a tremendous growth in Marcellus wells across the state.
In 2008, 196 wells were drilled, and 519 wells were permitted.
In 2009, 763 wells were drilled; 1,985 were permitted.
So far in 2010, 280 wells have been drilled and 584 have been permitted.
The state of New York quit issuing permits for drilling there and that has contributed to the boom of drilling in Pennsylvania.
Marcellus shale
Jon Laughner, an educator with Penn State Extension, said the Marcellus shale is a very thin layer of earth and in most cases if the Marcellus shale is present then so is gas trapped in it.
There are now more than 60 gas companies in Pennsylvania, and some wells have began production in Washington County, the site of the first producing Marcellus well.
One thing to consider is a no surface drilling lease, the presenters said. This is especially important to keep in mind if the property is less than five acres.
A recommendation given was to have the lease stated that there will be no surface drilling and only horizontal drilling, although if the property is greater than 50 acres, it is almost impossible to get a gas company to agree to this stipulation.
Marcellus shale may not be the only thing gas companies are interested in on a property. Studies are finding that if a property has a layer of Utica, which is several thousand feet lower than the Marcellus shale, the gas companies are probably interested in that as well. Under the Utica layer is also natural gas.
Water resources
Bryan Swistock, Penn State water resources specialist, is studying connections between brine water, water used for the drilling process and drinking water supplies.
One thing he recommends is that property owners get it stated in their lease that the drill site has to be at least 500 feet from a water supply. He added Pennsylvania law states it only has to be 200 feet, but that may not be enough.
After the permit is issued, the only notice given about the commencement of drilling will be to anyone with their drinking water supply within 1,000 feet of the drilling location. They will be notified within 24 hours of the drilling to begin.
Another tip he gives homeowners is to get their water tested by a state certified water testing lab prior to drilling, even if the site is not on their property and even if they are outside of the 500-feet zone. He said that will be the only way to prove something happened to the supply during the drilling.
After the drilling is complete, get another sample taken and tested.
Brine water disposal. Swistock also talked about the use of brine water at the drilling site and storage of the liquid on the property. He said it is very important to keep it away from drinking water areas.
He said millions of gallons of water will be needed for the drilling process and it is important to plan ahead and find out where the company plans to store the fluids.
Swistock added only 30 percent of what the company uses to drill will resurface within a couple of months and not enough studies have been completed to find out when and where the remaining water will resurface in the future.
Legal issues
Kris Vanderman, farmer and an attorney in Washington County specializing in working with property owners and natural gas issues, emphasized how important it is to contact an attorney before signing anything, rather than contacting one after a problem emerges with the gas company.
His legal tips included:
• Ensure the lease states arbitration will be used to determine issues between the land owner and the gas company.
• The lease should state how the property tax dealing with agricultural use will be handled. For example, who will pay the difference if gas is found on the property, when the farm loses its CAUV, or similar ag use valuation.
• Get the lease to state what will happen to the crops that are planted on the property and how much will be given for them if they are destroyed.
• The lease should also state that the property owner gets the right to have final say on where drilling sites will be and where brine tanks will be situated on the property.
He also told the group to make sure the lease does not state “owner has reasonable” anything. He recommends removing the phrase from any clause because in a court the gas company will hire professionals to state why you are unreasonable in not wanting the drilling site to be in a particular position on the property.
He said, simply, no matter what it comes down to, the gas company will say you are unreasonable and will have a good chance at winning the argument.
Financial planning
An average property with gas lease is getting between $200 and $300 an acre. If drilling begins, the price could increase to $2,000 an acre and if gas is found then the property owner could receive as much as an 18 percent royalty and storage fees.
Ted Feitt, of Washington Financial, said he couldn’t stress enough that property owners must plan ahead. He added it is not enough to wait until the gas is found to plan.
Feitt said he has seen some property owners already go broke because they didn’t plan ahead. He compared the financial windfall for some property owners to lottery winners who have gone broke five years after the good fortune.
He said the best thing to do is to establish a plan of action and an estate plan. One thing to consider is the taxes that will need to be paid when the checks begin to roll in once gas is found.
Feitt’s advice is simple: Pay taxes and then invest, otherwise it won’t be long before the farm will be foreclosed on and the property will be sold.
Another important item to remember is for your estate. He said if money is not set aside for the estate taxes, heirs could be forced to sell the property unless a cash reserve is available or another plan is established.
One thing was made clear by the workshop: There is a host of items to consider when thinking about leasing your property to any company. But if you remember only one thing, it should be this: Consult an attorney before signing anything.
Article printed from Farm and Dairy – The Auction Guide and Rural Marketplace: http://www.farmanddairy.com
URL to article: http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/marcellus-shale-natural-gas-fever-is-here-but-are-you-ready/14991.html
Tough New Standards to Protect PA Waterways
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tough-new-standards-to-protect-pa-waterways-from-drilling-wastewater-take-major-step-forward-93952789.html
Tough New Standards to Protect PA Waterways from Drilling Wastewater Take Major Step Forward
EQB Approves New TDS Regulations, Strengthens Erosion and Sediment Rules; Proposes New Well Construction Standards
HARRISBURG, Pa., May 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Environmental Quality Board today approved first-of-its-kind regulations that will protect waterways from the effects of natural gas drilling wastewater, better enabling the state’s Marcellus Shale reserves to be developed without sacrificing the health and quality of Pennsylvania’s vital water resources.
Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger said the new regulations are an appropriate and necessary measure to ensure that drilling wastewater containing high concentrations of Total Dissolved Solids, or TDS, do not pollute drinking water supplies, damage industrial equipment, or endanger delicate aquatic life.
“Drilling wastewater contains TDS levels that are thousands of times more harmful to aquatic life than discharges from other industries. Without imposing limits on this pollution, treatment costs for this wastewater are passed along to downstream industries and municipal ratepayers,” said Hanger. “All other industries in Pennsylvania are responsible for the waste they generate and the drilling industry should be no exception.” Read more
Webinar to discuss shale-gas drilling in urban areas
Friday, May 14, 2010
The acronym NIMBY — “Not in My Back Yard” — is a battle cry commonly hurled by neighbors at any nearby controversy. But when the controversy murmurs simultaneously across multiple neighborhoods in the same city, the expanding chorus of affected neighbors can create an industrial-strength din.
Such was the case in Fort Worth, Texas, where prior to 2000, there were no gas wells in town. Ten years later, there are 1,675 shale-gas wells within city limits, according to Sarah Fullenwider, senior assistant city attorney for the City of Fort Worth.
She said some Fort Worth citizens who have signed gas leases are frustrated with the local process and controls.
“Many have signed leases and want the financial benefits of extracting the minerals, so they want drilling to take place,” she said. “But they don’t want the impacts of a well near their homes. They are frustrated with the ability of cities to implement local controls considering Texas laws regarding the dominant mineral estate.”
Fullenwider will be the featured speaker during a free Web-based seminar titled, “Lessons from Gas Drilling in an Urban Environment,” which will air Thursday, May 20, at 1 p.m. Sponsored by Penn State Cooperative Extension, the “webinar” will provide an overview of Fort Worth’s experience as shale-gas companies in Texas began setting up drilling operations within city limits. Read more
Public meeting on Marcellus Shale reveals pluses, minuses
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailycourier/news/s_681358.html#
By Mark Hofmann
DAILY COURIER
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The benefits as well as the negative effects of obtaining natural gas from the Marcellus Shale reserve were discussed Friday during a public meeting held at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, hosted by state Rep. Deberah Kula.
“The Marcellus Shale has raised a lot of opportunities, but has also raised a lot of questions,” said Kula, who was joined by state Rep. P. Michael Sturla, chairman of the House of Representatives majority policy committee.
The natural gas reserve that stretches under Pennsylvania and holds enough gas to fully supply the nation for 10 years or more, has attracted the gas industry to Western Pennsylvania.