Since I first started dealing with Chesapeake Energy about 4 years ago I couldn't help but get the sense they are carpet baggers of the first order. Their landmen play their well-honed games, and they have never negotiated in good faith. They have been on a mad land grab tear to the point that they somewhere between $7 and $14 billion hole, and are now forced to sell assets to cover the shortfall, and pay (now former http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-22/chesapeake-s-uncle-arch... ) CEO Aubrey Mclendon his $800 million payday. I wasted a couple hours attending their "Private Meeting" at the Eldredsville Fire House on June 14, where among their standard BS presentation about what good corporate citizens they are they touted that natural gas is the cure for America's dependence on foriegn oil. And that could be true except that they are looking to sell our natural assets to anyone including the Chinese. http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2012/06/21/chinese-firm-pond...

Ok, so there's no need to go on bashing Chesapeake; they are a souless corporation who's only purpose is to make gobs of money anyway they can. What does drive me nuts is the current Corbet administration with their refusal to enact on any number of proactive, forward thinking standard fiscal practices, like a basic severance tax, to leverage this gold rush and protect our natural resources for future Pennsylvanians. They never considered this scenario where a foriegn country could very well end up owning Pennsylvania's natural resources. Thank God there is no forced pooling or eminent domain for pipelines...yet. I for one would lose my mind if I was forced to surrender by my mineral rights and then had to buy it back from a foriegn country. This is something our legislators need to have on their radar when they consider Marcellus legislation! 

So the next time Chesapeake, or any gas co, starts spouting how the Marcellus gas rush is good for America, realize that it is and has only ever been about the gas company. They truly don't care about Pennsylvanians or America.