Interesting Agenda For Jan. 11 Gas Task Force Meeting

There will be plenty to talk about when the Potter County Natural Gas Task Force convenes for its next meeting at 7 pm Tuesday, Jan. 11, at the Gunzburger Building in Coudersport. Guest speaker will be Jack Showers, director of community relations/regional affairs for East Resources/Royal Dutch Shell. He’ll be presenting a program spotlighting the latest developments in Marcellus Shale gas drilling, from site selection and hydrofracturing to gas production aspects and water disposition. It will be an interesting follow-up to a somewhat similar program that was sponsored by the Potter County Commissioners at Coudersport High School about 18 months ago. Technology has changed since that time, as have water treatment/recycling options and other aspects of gas production.

Entry of Royal Dutch Shell into the Appalachian Basin sent a loud message as to the economic viability of Marcellus Shale natural gas. Shell paid $4.7 billion to acquire approximately 650,000 acres of rights in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York. Much of the acreage is located in Tioga County, where East Resources has been especially active. A Shell spokesman said the the acquisition is important because it ensures that the capital is available to develop more of East’s significant Marcellus Shale holdings.

This will be the Task Force’s first meeting since November. There have been many developments in the region as the natural gas industry increases its presence:

• more permits have been issued for natural gas drilling in several municipalities, including Coudersport Borough;
• Penn Virginia Corporation and Seneca Resources are moving forward with plans to drill for gas on more than 11,000 acres of state forest land in Potter County;
• another round of training sessions is scheduled to prepare local residents for employment in the gas industry;
• efforts are continuing to establish a centralized water quality monitoring program coordinated with Trout Unlimited, local watershed associations, and other organizations;
• Potter County Planning Department is expanding its outreach to assist municipalities in preparing for, and monitoring, gas drilling.

These issues and several others will be discussed at Tuesday’s meeting, which is open to the public.