Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Janice L. Hancharick on August 27, 2015 at 2:54pm

This has been an excellent thread... not  long but definitely meaningful.  Fine points were raised.  Pipeline issues have been raised on GMS earlier and will continue to appear as our much-needed infrastructure grows, including the old lines repaired and/or re-plumbed.  We are still seeing the beginning of shale development, and slowly learning about its global impact .

Penn State's Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research (MCOR) has put out many fine pamphlets w/nuts and bolts facts about the many ramifications of the O&G industry on the lives of individuals, the land, and our future.  The team of educators have spread out across the USA to make "the latest" available to the public.

With MCOR's help thousands have learned a great deal about making safe decisions.  No strings attached Bill, if you want the material on pipelines I can send it to you PRIORITY.  I've held numerous landowner group meetings and done many mailings ---  just because solid information  is no good if not shared.

This retired teacher's email is jlhanch@nc.rr.com  .   Contact me so I can address the envelope tomorrow if you're interested.

Permalink Reply by william Allen. Ladd on August 28, 2015 at 1:00am

Oh MY! I did not expect my posting of this subject would result in such a heated discussion as this.

 YES! YES! YES! Janice, I will send you my Email address in a few minutes. Please look for it.

 

I have read many of your postings back thru the years whenever I could access the internet. Back about 2009 I believe it was A landman from the Apollo/Greensburg/Crabtree area came to our door wanting to sign us up for a drilling lease. Up until that time my wife and I had never even heard about the Marcellus Shale deposit. This man was very familiar with the area I just mentioned. He was quite  sure that he had even been a football coach for my wife's nephew.

Anyway he sat down with us and told us all about the Marcellus and the fracking process. He presented us with a lease and went thru it line by line and answered all of the questions we asked of him. We needed to investigate the status of our property concerning leasing. We determined that that there was a serious snag.

Several other landmen approached us...almost tripping over each other on their way to visit us but that snag seemed to prevent leasing. That snag was finally removed.

My wife and I thank all of you for your input to my inquiry.  Hopefully other landowners will read these comments and will be cautious about giving away their precious holdings handed down from parents and grandparents.

Sincerely Bill L.

Permalink Reply by Thomas Wentzler on August 31, 2015 at 6:11am

Be careful on the ROW to not make the mistake I made.  They agreed to cut the ROW timber and stack it so that I could sell it; however, I did not put a time limit on the stacking.  Regency just cut the wood in April and it is still laying everywhere because they are not continuing with the pipeline.

Tom Wentzler

Permalink Reply by william Allen. Ladd on September 1, 2015 at 1:17am

Good Moring Tom. I have a friend who owns  log skidder. He is familiar with my wooded area. I hope to make some kind of deal with him to salvage trees.....saleable logs, treetops for firewood to sell. He burns wood himself and he has a helper that also burns wood. Hopefully I can have these trees brought to a place where he can either work them into saleable logs & firewood or to a place where he can access with them his own skidder and bring them to a place where he can the work them up. I have a woodsplitter he could use if he wanted to.

Bill L.

Permalink Reply by Gregory J Adams on August 31, 2015 at 10:10am

In Butler co I got 1.00 per inch of diameter of pipe per foot. So a 12 in pipe is 12 bucks a foot, one line at the moment. Up to three lines underground and temp water lines over at 1.00/foot paid every 90 days. As to trees, they paid market value/ ac taken. It was fair with the cherry, red oak and maple I had but market value will be different if your stand is white pine or hemlock or any softwood, and they chipped the tops down to six inches, then piled the pole in stacks that I have cut firewood out of.

One of four

They then seeded with orchard grass and timothy and are to put gates at the property line.

Permalink Reply by Thomas Wentzler on September 1, 2015 at 2:45am

Thanks, Bill. I am in Lycoming county, Eldred Township; may be too far away. But interested if you think distance is not an issue.

As to the pipeline pricing, I argued that the ROW would limit my use of the land and therefore, drop its intrinsic value.  They gave me better than average prices.

Permalink Reply by william Allen. Ladd on September 1, 2015 at 3:59am

Other facts have come to light this morning. At this point I am saying NO, NO PIPE LINE AT ANY PRICE!

Bill L

Permalink Reply by Janice L. Hancharick on September 1, 2015 at 6:45am

Bill,

What happened?!!  Please take time to read the booklet I sent.  Perhaps it contains information that will clear up this morning's facts.  The landowner has more power than most think.

Permalink Reply by william Allen. Ladd on September 1, 2015 at 9:40am

Hey Janice You are right on the job.....Not like some others. 

Your booklet has not yet arrived.  We have talked with other folks who are involved in the O&G industry. Let's just say that more caution flags have gone up. There seems to be three different groups interested in this pipeline deal.

We were told that Travis Peake has or will have two wells drilled. This first well has not even had the access road cleared as yet. We are in a direct line between these two wells. Our property is leased with a different outfit. A third outfit, "Cardinal"  wants to put in the pipeline. In fact "Cardinal" has walked on part of the route they want to take. We accidentally happened to meet up with them at the end of our driveway They had walked the one piece that we intend to leave to our son. As they cross the road to another section of our land, they wanted to know how they could access it easily. It is a very steep and not easy to walk up over.  I can show them but I have to go on to one of two properties not belonging to me on my four wheeler. Once on top it levels off and the rest of their route should be no problem.

Its apparent that they did not know who owned the next properties that they could put their pipeline on to the west. They have come up with any kind of agreement or plan.

They did say that 100 feet in width path was needed for access and the pipeline trench. One pipe 12 inches in diameter and maybe two later on. I need a lot more solid information before I'm letting a pipeline go thru.

Many caution flags. At this point the red flags are beginning to come up.

Your booklet has not arrived yet and we will not be here to look at it until next week now.

I thank you for your interest Janice

Bill L.

Permalink Reply by Janice L. Hancharick on September 1, 2015 at 3:18pm

Travis Peak is just beginning the drilling of the 2 wells you referred to. The initial announcement was picked up on Solomon's Words blog.  It will be a while before pipeline completion becomes a necessity so you have time to peruse the information that should be there by now!  Perhaps PRIORITY is the Post Office version of Pony Express! ... not what I intended at all!!! 

Hope you're getting in some vacation time these next few days.

Janice

Permalink Reply by william Allen. Ladd on September 1, 2015 at 11:33pm

Good morning Janice,

I spent much time the last couple of days running all of the facts thru my mind. OK, since I am quite familiar with the area were the one well is to be drilled. (60 plus years of hunting, working, hiking and just exploring the area), I am wondering if perhaps Travis Peake might be making a change to their access road to their well. There has been no activity to date to actually build the access from the township road to where that well is to be located.

In fact where it is said to start from the twp road is quit a long distance to well site.

The well site is closer to the twp road and in a direct line with where "Cardinal" has determined its pipeline will be built.

With a hundred foot pipeline access ROW that was mentioned yesterday,  And a straight shot with mild slopes to well site, I would think it would be a better choice for Travis Peake for their own access to their well site.  Much shorter to haul a drilling rig, water trucks and whatever.

One access to build instead of two to this well just east of us.

Also "Cardinal's" pipeline will have to make an adjustment to the south or else will go thru our yard and maybe our house too. (That's not going to happen!)  Our water supply is a couple hundred feet farther south from our house. It is a spring.

Granted it is a complicated situation for "Cardinal" to deal with. My son has had plans for many years to build on this one piece of land. And now all of a sudden "Cardinal" appears and wants a ROW that will be within a couple hundred feet of my son's building site. My wife and I have already laid out several thousand dollars to install his septic system and water supply. All he needs now is to get his building and electric power brought in.

I presume that a pipeline ROW will be on my property and I do not want to hinder it more then necessary to protect my interest, that of my son, grandson and my wife.  

LIFE IS THE PROCESS OF  PROBLEMS TO SOLVE.

IF THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS TO SOLVE,  THEN THERE IS NO REASON FOR LIFE.

Have a great Day Janice

Bill L.

Permalink Reply by william Allen. Ladd on September 2, 2015 at 12:36pm

To Janice

Those papers came late this afternoon. I read your nice letter an then read all six pages hurriedly as we had to take our Grandson to football practice. He is all of nine years  old.

Some of my questions were answered right off. Other points will not be of concern. When I have spare time I will read the information over much more carefully. I find that reading something multiple times will always reveal something new.

Thank you again. The information will be  very valuable  in working up a lease agreement.

Sincerely

Bill Ladd         

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