The Lenape Resources lawsuit against the Town of Avon is accompanied by a first-class summary demonstrating the “home rule” campaign sponsored by the Park Foundation is mightily mistaken.

Our earlier post on the subject of the Lenape Resources lawsuit against the Town of Avon dealt with the practical side of the case. The legal side is also compelling and it’s laid out very methodically in a Memorandum of Law submitted with the complaint. It addresses not only oil and gas law, but…

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20121209/ARTICLE/121209612/2416/NEWS?Title=Drilling-twist-Environmentalists-want-to-keep-idle-offshore-oil-rigs&tc=ar

Natural gas development is allowing the United States to achieve carbon emission reductions no one thought possible even a few short years ago. The International Energy Agency indicates the U.S. has, incredibly, led all developed nations in reducing its carbon dioxide emissions since 2006. Some Cornell University natural gas opponents deny this reality and suggest it is also offset by methane emissions, but their theories have now been discredited almost everywhere.

We’ve heard a lot…

Cabot Oil and Gas, like all companies with whom we work, strives to be a good neighbor. Cabot and others have supported many causes, documented here. This year, and last, however, they donated $25,000 to institutions that virtually define rural communities – volunteer fire companies.

Cabot Oil and Gas presented a $25,000 donation to local volunteer fire departments at the annual Christmas Parade in Montrose, Pennsylvania this past Saturday. It was another in a long line of examples…

The Vestal Gas Coalition recently held an essay contest on natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale, sponsored in part by EID Marcellus. The result was some very thoughtful examinations of the opportunities and needs surrounding natural gas development in our region.

The Vestal Gas Coalition decided to sponsor a scholarship for seniors at Vestal High School this year. Students were asked to submit an essay as on “How will natural gas development impact the Southern Tier and…

There was news all over the New York State natural gas front last week regarding natural gas development, most of it good news, some of it being speculation. Upstate New York could certainly use some good news given current economic conditions.

You could call last week a perfect storm of facts and speculation.

First, another pro-development advertising campaign rolled out across the state, targeting upstate major metropolitan areas, Albany and the Southern Tier. In newspapers…

The lawsuit filed by Lenape Resources against the Town of Avon and the DEC is a superb overview of New York State law regarding natural gas development and the reasons why the efforts of two former dollar store owners from Ithaca are unlikely to prevail in their cynical campaign to kill natural gas development in New York through local bans and moratoriums.

Last week’s press was full of stories from the Associated Press, Wall Street Journal and Washington Examiner, among others,…

New York State represents two different worlds when it comes to attitudes, incomes and needs. It’s hard to find a better illustration than the one offered by Yoko Ono’s fashion line as compared to the reality of life in Upstate New York, where natural gas development is essential.

Earlier this year, when Yoko Ono and her son Sean were launching a campaign to ban hydraulic fracturing in the State of New York, he penned a pastoral op/ed in New York Times. It reminisced about the times…

Simultaneously with a whole lot of political maneuvering apparently intended to confuse everyone, characteristic of New York State, the Cuomo Administration has released a set of revised regulations for natural gas development using high-volume hydraulic fracturing.  



The New York State Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) on hydraulic fracturing languishes but the Department of Environmental Conservation published, late last…

Natural gas advocate and Sullivan County, New York, landowner, Inge Grafe-Kieklak, delivers Ten Commandments for Governor Cuomo as he bobs and weaves his way through (or is it out of) the hydraulic fracturing issue.

I have been active in trying to bring natural gas development to our region of New York for five years now. Watching the machinations of New York State politics and Governor Andrew Cuomo regarding this issue has made me realize Upstate citizens are being used as pawns in…

A recent analysis by USA TODAY shows that development of the nation’s shale resources is reversing a decade’s long trend and shifting significant wealth toward rural areas of the country that certainly can use the boost.

From reviving local steel mills in blue collar communities to supporting family businesses, responsible shale development is transforming and reshaping our economy for the better. And according to an analysis by USA TODAY, oil and natural gas development is also…

New York DEC is now extending its original deadline in a bizarre on-off-on-off-on again natural gas regulation dance. Trying to understand where the Governor is at any given moment requires a Ouija board or some other tool of the occult arts. Jim Willis of Marcellus Drilling News had this to say about the whole thing this morning.

It’s official: The New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will file for a 90-day extension on the rulemaking process for hydraulic fracturing.…

Green completion may be a foreign term for some people when thinking about natural gas development, but it’s as real as could be and one more demonstration of how technology is always one step ahead of the natural gas opposition’s hype. Green completion is one more step in an development process that is cleaner by the day.

Green completions are now becoming standard in the natural gas industry, eliminating one of the latest objections of natural gas opponents who like to say the…

We are familiar with the value of minerals in our area (Guernsey County, Ohio) but what about when it comes to surface issues.  What is the going rate of having a pipeline run through your property?  I know they base a lot on footage, but they also give compensation for damages for timber, access roads, etc.  Any advice, pros or cons, much appreciated.

Natural gas opponents Bill Huston and Vera Scroggins reveal a contempt for job seekers and careers that lies at the heart of their natural gas opposition. It’s got little to do with the environment, except as a tool to achieve their broader goal of reshaping society.

We received two stunningly candid comments on this blog this week revealing what so much of the natural gas opposition is really about. The comments came back to back and and provide a window into the minds of two of the…

Cornell University was the site of a debate on hydraulic fracturing recently where two panels of advocates on either side discussed the basics of natural gas development. There were also some interesting sideline activities when one of the panelists called another an “industry” hack after being unable to defend his own report.

We took a trip to Ithaca last week so Tom could participate in a debate on hydraulic fracturing and the role of natural gas development with respect to global…

Bill Owen provides us a copy of a letter he recently sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo in response to the Governor’s Thanksgiving news release to those on his mailing list. There’s not much to be happy about in Upstate New York, says Owen, because Cuomo has abandoned his rural constituents.

Who am I? Nobody really, just a citizen tired of seeing the FUD (fear uncertainly and doubt) infect the political arena while jobs and hope flee New York. Like many of you, I have written many letters…

Why don't you join me this Thursday as I attempt to gain some perspective. I’m long over due for a timeout. Perhaps a day, or two, to consider the life that I’ve been blessed to live. How about you? If so, then quit scrutinizing over the recent election; whether your guy won or lost. Forgive your…

Recent comments by NY Governor Andrew Cuomo and actions by the State Department of Health in appointing “independent” professionals to review public health concerns in the SGEIS show the fix may be in for shale development in New York.

The past few weeks have left many in New York wondering if Gov. Andrew Cuomo actually wants to see responsible Marcellus development move forward in his state. Unfortunately, if the comments he made on Tuesday’s edition of the Fred Dicker show are any…

Tom Copley maintains WikiMarcellus, which provides an objective, educational perspective on Marcellus Shale natural gas development.  It is a resource to any serious student of what’s happening with this industry.  Here is an example of Tom’s most recent effort; a…