Gas at a Glance

PA hunters advised to prepare for gas changes

Penn State Cooperative Extension is advising hunters to prepare for changes due to increased natural gas exploration in PA. With 4,510 active Marcellus permits now, as compared to 1,970 in October 2009, hunters will find new roads in many areas and may encounter large amounts of truck traffic. The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) will limit heavy truck traffic on the three days of bear season (November 20,22,23) and other days when numbers of hunters are high (November 29 and 30, and December 4 and 11) in many areas. Hunters may also come upon large open well pad sites, which are restricted areas not open to the public. The dividing line between the public forest and the restricted area is the native vegetation line. Individuals standing in the native vegetation are considered to be on public ground. Those standing on the well pad are in restricted areas and fall under the rules and regulations of the company doing the drilling. Most locations have a guard shack to identify individuals accessing the pad. Individuals may be asked for their names and purpose for being there. Safety Zone signs will be posted 150 yards from the edge of active sites. Hunting is not allowed within safety zones. With both drilling and fracking there can be workers temporarily living on site 24 hours a day. Hunters are advised to check hunting sites ahead of time as access may be restricted. An updated list of roads open for hunting season on State Forest Land can be found at: www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/deer/huntingaccess.aspx . To view a map of current Marcellus permits see /www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/oilandgas/Marcellus_Permits_10_10.pdf . For other information, visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/index.aspx .

Penn State gas webinars

Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research are sponsoring a series of one-hour, monthly webinars from November 2010 through March 2011 on issues related to development of the state’s Marcellus Shale. The next two webinars will be held at 1 p.m. on the following topics: November 18 – “PA DEP Regulatory Update,” presented by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; December 16 – “Plumbing the Depths in PA: A Primer on Marcellus Shale Geology and Technology,” presented by the Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research. To access the webinar, you must have a Penn State User ID. If you do not have a Friends of Penn State account, you will be prompted to register for one when you go to https://breeze.psu.edu/pscems/ before gaining access to the presentation. This and all webinars are recorded and available at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/webinars. Contact Joann Kowalski at jmk20@psu.edu or 570/278-1158.

Halliburton’s frack fluids

Halliburton Co. has begun publicly disclosing the identity of chemicals used by the natural gas industry in Pennsylvania after the EPA subpoenaed the company when it failed to provide that information. Eight other major companies complied with the EPA request. A new Halliburton website provides information on the chemicals the company says are in its three most commonly used solutions. Halliburton officials said the company has worked to supply the EPA with the information it wants and that it plans to make similar disclosures in other states where its chemicals are being used. See www.halliburton.com/hydraulicfracturing for more.