The Marcellus Shale Gas Rush

The rush to drill the Marcellus Shale has brought a great deal of attention to Broome County. Landowners are scrambling to sign leases, industries have dispatched teams of lobbyists to Albany, and most media converage continues to focus on the immediate economic boon to the area.

Smart extraction and use of our nation's resources will certainly be one element of a comprehensive national energy security plan, but such practices must be done in a manner that does not harm the safety and health of our citizens and the environment. Because preserving the long-term social, economic and environmental health of this community is the fundamental priority of this administration, Mayor Ryan is advocating for better understanding and cooperation among officials from the local to the state level on an issue that will have impact for decades to come.

As a more immediate response, Mayor Ryan has requested his staff to create an online clearinghouse for information about the gas drilling rush that has captured the region's attention.

• Online Resources
• Discussion Group
• City Action

Thank you for staying informed and engaged.

Online Resources

The following are helpful resources to better understanding the potential concerns that come with exploiting the Marcellus Shale.

• Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition is an advocate for safe, responsible drilling, and has an active Gas Production Task Force that is working on education, advocacy, and statewide grassroots coalition building. They have hosted some of the premiere educational forums in the region on the issue of gas production, and videos of these events are available online to view.
• Catskill MountainKeeper. Catskill MountainKeeper is a member based advocacy organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the long term health of the six counties of the Catskill Region. Recognizing strength in numbers, we organizer concerned citizens to protect existing jobs and industry, take care of abundant but exceedingly vulnerable natural resources, and help to utilize available and often un-claimed local, state, and national funds to prevent and cushion the impact of natural disasters.
• Oil and Gas Accountability Project. OGAP is a resource for citizens and communities that are dealing with oil and gas development.  OGAP's multi-tiered approach involves people who are directly affected by the impacts of oil and gas development in working for strong reforms and better industry practices.  We utilize media, public education and community organizing in our efforts to change the way oil and gas development occurs in North America.
• Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN). DRN, a non-profit organization with professional staff and volunteers, provides effective environmental advocacy, volunteer monitoring programs, stream restoration projects and public education throughout the entire Delaware River Watershed, which includes portions of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York. DRN has recently issued a very helpful fact sheet about the gas drilling rush of the Marcellus Shale.
• Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) "Gas Leasing" Blog. Includes helpful sumamries and links to many different resources.
• Water Resources Institute at Cornell University. This federally and state mandated institution is tasked with improving water management resources in NYS. They've created a special section dedicated to "Gas Wells."
• Press and Sun Bulletin's "Natural Gas Rush" Resource Page. Though difficult to identify the relevance and source of the links, if a user has time, there are plenty to explore and review.
• Gas Drilling in the Southern Tier is a brief summary prepared by Chris Burger, former Broome County Legislator, for distribution among his Presbytery members. This article could be an important document to spark discussion inside the faith community about drilling and environmental issues.
• What is a Moratorium? This brief summary was provided by a lawyer and member of the Afton Town Board.
• New York State Department of Environmental Conservation offers information about the legal and permitting aspects of gas drilling and what all property owners should know before signing leases. DEC is virtually the sole agency with oversight of the gas and oil industry, however, there is growing consensus that this agency is underequipped and the state regs outdated to handle the anticipated volume of the Marcellus Shale drilling (see "City Updates" below). Also, the DEC maintains a searchable database on all permitted wells, including oil and gas operations. Check out if permits have been issued for wells in your area.
• New York Farm Bureau offers two helpful documents: a fact sheet and a complaint form for property owners in dealings with either landmen or industry representatives.
• The American Association of Professional Landmen Code Of Ethics.

Discussion Group

• To subscribe via email, send an email to MarcellusGasInfo-subscribe@googlegroups.com. You will need a google account to access the group via the web.
• To subscribe through the web, visit Google Groups and create a google account by clicking on "sign in" in the upper right-hand corner. Click on "create an account now." Log in to your Google Account and visit the group of your choice. Then click the "Join this group" link on the right-hand side of the page under "About this group."

City Action

Though there are obvious economic benefits of industry's interest in this massive natural gas reserve, the toxic legacy of IBM is a local reminder that care and caution at the front-end of short-term growth is needed to protect against long-term impacts that can harm families, pollute a community's natural resources, and depress housing market values.

To guard against these outcomes, and to ensure a proper balance of economic, social and environmental goals, Mayor Ryan will continue to reach out to local, county and state representatives to discuss appropriate strategies and policies.

Created: June 21, 2008

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