PA officials plan a Texas gas trip

Two shales up for comparison

By TOM KANE

LEHMAN, PA - The Penn State Cooperative Extension is taking PA state and county officials to Texas to see what economic benefits have occurred in communities located above the Barnett Shale deposit around Fort Worth.

Several such trips have already taken place and another is planned for September 18 and 19 for 10 county commissioners and 18 state legislators from areas where the Marcellus Shale is evident.

“Drilling in the Barnett Shale is 10 years older than in the Marcellus Shale, so we can learn from them how to make our deposit work for the good of the area,” said G. Michael McDavid, regional director of the extension.

“The exploration and development of the Marcellus Shale natural gas play has significant potential to affect Pennsylvania communities,” McDavid said. “The Barnett Shale play is very similar in geology to the Marcellus, so is a good comparison of technological and industry needs.”

McDavid, who made his presentation to the Wayne County Commissioners on August 12, presented some startling economic impacts on business development and increased income that accrued to people in that area. His presentation was based on a study by The Perryman Group, a Texas-based economic and financial analysis firm.

Overall, The Perryman Group study report estimates that Barnett Shale accounts for $8.2 billion in annual output (8.1 percent of total output in the regional economy), and 83,823 jobs (8.9 percent of total jobs).

“This is a significant number, particularly since the Barnett Shale region predominately is an urban area, which already had a large and extensive economy,” McDavid said. “Potential impacts in Northeastern Pennsylvania could be much higher on a percentage basis since the local economy there is relatively smaller.”

The Perryman Group report didn’t mention the economic impacts reportedly caused by environmental degradation in the Barnett Shale project. A group of homeowners in the Fort Worth area, called Fort Worth Citizens Against Neighborhood Drilling Ordinances (FWCANDO), have been actively circulating on the Internet incidents of deterioration of water, soil erosion, soil run-off, damage to roads and the lowering of water levels in personal wells.

When asked why environmental issues were not covered in The Perryman Group report, McDavid said, “Our educational mission in the cooperative extension is to provide nonbiased, research-based, objective information to the public in order for them to make informed decisions.”

According to The Perryman Group website, www.perrymangroup.com, its corporate clients include Atlantic Richfield, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, General Electric, Honeywell and Texaco. Governmental clients include the People’s Republic of China, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of the Interior.