NewtonPA.com

There will be a meeting on April 3 at the Rec Center @7:00 to discuss the natural gas leases being proposed for the entire area, not just Newton.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss and gather input about forming a group of landowners in order to negotiate a better deal with the gas companies.
It doesn't matter if you have one or 1,000 acres, the companies are probably interested in your property.

They are making offers of up to $1,500 per acre for a several year lease which also includes a royalty (legal minimum 12.5% but can be negotiated higher) on the gas found.

The whole situation is very complicated and anyone who is interested needs to do a bit of research before signing anything with any company or so called "land men".

Be wary of drilling leases, Ransom residents warned

The Times-Tribune
BY LAURA LEGERE
STAFF WRITER
04/08/2008

RANSOM — Township supervisors warned residents Monday night against signing leases with natural gas companies seeking to explore for natural gas more than a mile beneath the ground.

Supervisor Joe Esposito said the leases may not offer as many rewards as they seem to promise.

“Don’t think you’re going to get rich on this because you probably won’t,” he said. “The gas company’s going to get rich.”

Representatives from gas companies have sent letters and, at times, gone door-to-door to ask landowners across the region to sign leases that would allow them to drill for gas trapped in a mineral layer called Marcellus shale.

To help landowners discuss the potential risks and rewards of leasing their oil and gas rights, supervisors extended an open invitation to residents to use the municipality’s public buildings to hold meetings.

In Ransom, where the land has been scarred by open pit mining, the supervisors did not hide their wariness of a new era of underground exploration.

“This is going to be another 24/7 drilling,” Supervisor David Bird said.

In other business, the supervisors asked an Alliance Sanitary Landfill representative if the township engineer can watch the flood prevention work Alliance is planning for Sawmill Creek.

Mr. Esposito said Alliance has gotten positive feedback for its plans to reinforce the creek and add plunge pools that will slow the velocity of water as it runs through the landfill.

The township has been plagued by flood damage, most recently in February when Gardner Creek nearly washed out a section of Dark Region Road. The township had to pay for emergency repairs.

“Naturally, every creek is different, but when you look at it you get ideas,” Mr. Esposito said.

“When DEP likes it and the Conservation Department likes it, it makes it easier to get permits and grants.”

July 3, 2008


Prospective problems

Quest for natural gas can produce some nasty side-effects

By David Orzel

I'm writing in response to what I've been reading lately online concerning natural gas development in Tioga and Broome counties. I currently live in Sublette County, Wyoming, which lies in the heart of gas and oil development country in western Wyoming. I grew up in Apalachin and hope to someday move back and enjoy the surrounding area and to be closer to my family.

Let me tell you a little bit about Sublette County. We have fantastic views of the Wind River Mountains, the highest peaks in Wyoming. We have trophy hunting of mule deer, moose, elk and bighorn sheep. We have fishing for native cutthroat trout available out our doorsteps. Most of the county is public land, which means that you can hike, bike, and enjoy the scenery all you like for free.

We have brand new county buildings, libraries, schools, subdivisions and visitor centers. We have some of the highest-paid teachers and public servants in the nation. We have some of the lowest tax rates in the country. We have water so pure in Fremont Lake that the town uses it as its municipal supply untreated. Sounds like a great place to live, right?

What most people see as "progress" comes at a price. We are now seeing ozone levels in the atmosphere around the county rival that of big cities like Denver and Los Angeles (we only have about 7,000 residents in the entire county, and we don't have a single stop light).

We are seeing increasing rates of respiratory problems in the young and old. We are finding traces of benzene, a carcinogen, in the ground and surface waters. Property has skyrocketed, with a small house in town going for $300,000. The clear views of the mountains are no more, with particulates in the air blocking them out.

Animal migration routes are being blocked by gas field development. Wildlife is disappearing. The roads are dangerous (hit and runs are common). A transitory population of "roughnecks" and "roustabouts" now hang out in town. I could go on and on, but it depresses me.

All of this started to occur about five years ago, right when the natural gas development really began to ramp up. It doesn't take a degree in geology (which I have, by the way) to see that the two are linked.

People now are beginning to realize that all of those gas leases and mineral rights that were sold over to the big producers (Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, etc.) are not worth the percentage that they're earning. What good is a royalty check if your children have to play in the shadow of a gas rig?

Wait until they start "fracking" the bedrock to get at hard-to-reach gas reserves (here's a hint -- you can hear and feel it at night). Wait until they start "flaring" the rigs, filling the sky with black smoke (the EPA can't do a thing, because rigs are exempt). The companies build roads everywhere and access them 24/7 with loud diesel trucks.

They don't care because you've already signed on the dotted line. And don't bother with your lawyers, because they have 10 others ready to fight back at the drop of a hat.

I'd urge all of the citizens of Broome and Tioga counties to think very carefully how much their quality of lives are worth. Please proceed slowly and think this development through. Think beyond the short-term payments and consider what this place will be like after the gas companies leave.

Their goal is to generate revenue at any cost to the environment and the local population. Look through the smoke and mirrors. They won't be around to clean up after the extraction is through. You, however, will be.

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