Natural gas is found trapped in rock layers such as sandstone, limestone, and shale. It was formed there millions of years ago in tiny spaces along fractures and natural pores in the rocks. During the mid 1990’s, the deep geological layer of dolomite called the Trenton/Black River formation was identified as a potentially significant gas reservoir. It stretches from Kentucky and West Virginia northward to New York. Even though this layer is thousands of feet under the surface, drilling and seismic technology are advanced enough to make it economical for some gas companies to tap this resource.

As of early 2008, the Marcellus Shale layer was receiving unprecedented attention because geologists announced potentially enormous gas reserves if the layer is drilled in a particular way. The gas extracted from wells in Upstate New York would be conveyed through an interstate system of pipelines, often to terminals and utilities in the Northeast.

Gas wells are drilled in locations where the gas company has obtained the right, through lease, purchase, or other means, to explore for and develop natural gas. Geologic data are used to suggest a potential hydrocarbon (oil or gas) mineral trap; also, exploration companies must gain sufficient acreage under lease to permit the drilling of a well. Wells are spaced according to mineral laws and regulations, striving to extract gas efficiently with as few wells as possible.

Geologists and geophysicists working for gas companies use seismic data to interpret the formations of rock layers underground. If seismic data suggests a reasonable possibility of efficient gas access, a well will be drilled in a specific location. Such a well is drilled using long sections of drill pipe. Depending on the geology, the drillers may drill vertically for several thousand feet, then use special joints to turn the shaft 90 degrees and continue drilling horizontally. A steel casing is cemented in place to stabilize the surface of the well bore and protect groundwater resources. A well may be evaluated to determine its productive potential by flare testing or metering. If the well is successful, a wellhead apparatus with valves and gauges will be installed to measure the flow of gas to a pipeline.

Gas development is a mix of public and private interests. On the private side, gas companies are interested in securing rights to explore and extract natural gas as economically as possible. Gas transmission and storage companies may convey or store gas. Private landowners usually own the mineral exploration rights associated with the property. Contractors are hired to secure leases, clear drilling sites, construct and remove wellheads, build pipelines, and reclaim land impacted by these activities.

On the public side, the Department of Environmental conservation’s Division of Mineral Resources (DMN) enforces Article 23 of the Environmental Conservation Law, which regulates the identification of productions units, drilling, site reclamation, and gas well safety, among other aspects in New York. The DMN oversees gas drilling techniques that could pose a hazard through brine contamination, pollution, or discharge of oil or gas into the environment. The Public Service Commission and its staff in the Department of Public Service oversee all gas pipeline safety; also, they oversee proposed routes and construction for pipelines operating at or above 125 psi. The Department of Agriculture and Markets provides technical assistance to agencies, farmland owners, and gas companies where gas pipelines affect agriculture resources. Upon request, Agriculture and Markets also provides technical assistance on well drilling pad development and mitigation on farmland. In some counties, the county Soil and Water Conservation District provides technical assistance on pipeline routing and restoration or land reclamation around well pads. Additionally, the NY Attorney General investigates complaints of gas lease violations and related legal matters.

A gas lease is either a temporary or long term commitment of some of the land’s resources to a gas company in return for a defined level of compensation. The landowner, heirs, or estate may be locked in to the original agreement until they take prescribed steps or wait out the life of the lease. The lease might represent a lien on the property, requiring additional legal arrangements during a property transfer, mortgage refinancing, or attempts to borrow against the value of the property. After signing a lease that was not fully reviewed or was poorly formulated, some landowners find that problems are unexpectedly difficult to resolve due to the provisions of the lease. There may be additional farm and home expenses related to the development of a lease as noted above.

The primary term, or the exploratory term, of the lease is generally the period when a gas company will do exploratory testing, such as seismic testing, to determine if they want to drill on your land. If they do not drill within five years of when you sign a five year lease, the lease is over. If the gas company begins drilling operations at any point in the five year lease period, the secondary term begins. The secondary term lasts as long as the well remains in use, which can be anywhere from a couple of years to decades.

Probably not. Interest in the Marcellus Shale has only begun to surface in New York, especially in some counties. In many cases, gas companies are leasing property for the purpose of exploration and out of competition with other companies. If the interest in the Marcellus Shale follows the pattern of that of the Trenton Black River play in New York, or the Barnett Shale in Texas (which is very similar to the Marcellus Shale), then activity will increase in the coming years.

Local Government & Community Impacts 

1. How is Marcellus Shale development different than previous gas drilling?

Gone are the days when companies could drill a few wells seemingly overnight without causing much of a disturbance.  Due to the depth of the gas formation and the new technologies involved, Marcellus Shale development is much more industrialized, time-intensive, and labor-intensive. 

Previous wells could be drilled in process similar to drilling a water well: drilling could be completed in a few days by just a few workers with a truck-mounted drilling rig, and after the drilling was done, the process was complete.  In comparison, Marcellus Shale drilling sites resemble a small construction site: very large drilling rigs are assembled on site with cranes, while office buildings, huge water reservoirs, and other equipment is often placed on site. The drilling process itself can take two weeks or sometimes much longer, and then the rig and equipment is disassembled and replaced by the hydraulic fracturing crew, which in itself can take several days.

2. What effect can gas drilling have on local governments?

Based recent natural gas drilling that has occurred in other areas, impacts to local communities can generally be broken down into two categories: direct impacts from the industrial development itself, and indirect impacts from the new workers, residents, and development.  The severity of impacts will largely depend on how much development occurs near your community.

The direct impacts from the industrial development can include damage to local roadways by heavy truck traffic, increased use of local sewer and water infrastructure for drilling operations, and the increased use of other local services such as ambulance, fire, and police services due to emergences that can arise at remote industrial locations.  Impacts to the environment can also burden local governments if the burden of regulation and declining property values fall on local governments. If the proper fees and bonds are in place for the use of these direct municipal services, local governments can recoup many of the expenses.

Indirect impacts tend to center around the positive and negative consequences of new residents and developments related to the drilling activity.  New workers may move into a community on either a temporary or permanent basis, creating demand for new motels, apartments, and houses. There may also be new demand for commercial buildings and industrial sites.  Such growth can provide positive economic stimuli to local business owners, workers, and property owners that are able to take advantage of rising property values. However, managing such growth has been known to strain local governments in other areas, as the zoning, permitting, and regulation of new development can be expensive and controversial in areas that may not have seen significant population growth for a long time. Additionally, some towns may be unable to accommodate new customers onto their sewer and water lines.  

Local governments may receive additional revenues from property and sales taxes from the new economic growth; however, research from communities in other areas has shown that such additional revenues may fall short of expenditures.

3. Is the level of drilling activity going to drop because of the economic recession?

It is likely that the drilling activity will be lower than under ideal economic circumstances, but it still may increase when compared to 2008 levels of development in the Marcellus Shale. There are two main economic factors that are helping to influence drilling activity. One is the dropping price of the natural gas commodity, which provides less incentive to drill more wells as the rate of return on the investment of drilling a well will be smaller. A lower commodity price also lowers the amount of assets a company will have in the form of proven or unproven natural gas reserves.  The other factor is the credit crisis, which is making it difficult for companies to get credit to drill new wells.  A Reuters News service article addresses the effects of the economic downturn on drilling activity nationwide.

Whatever the drop in activity due to the economic downturn, it is more than likely to be temporary, as overall demand for natural gas is expected to continue to increase and the Marcellus Shale is expected to help fill that demand.

4. How can my community best prepare for impacts from natural gas development?

Every community is going to face different opportunities and challenges, so it is up to each community to get together and identify what the potential opportunities and challengers are for each specific area. We offer four basic suggestions that can help a community to start preparing for economic and local government impacts, depending on the level of development occurring near your community.

1. Form an Inter-governmental Local Task Force to act as a clearinghouse of information
   As everyone has experienced, gas development can change very quickly and information can be confusing, contradictory, and overwhelming. Communities need to explore forming a local task force that is made up of the county, cities, towns, and other major community stakeholders so that information can be easily shared and disseminated, and the stakeholders can work together to address situations as they arise. Many times the incoming information and dissemination will require a part or full-time dedicated staff member.
2. Complete a Baseline Social and Economic Profile.
   A baseline socioeconomic profile can determine the current capacities for local services such as ambulance, police, fire, sewer and water, schools, health care, and etc. A profile can also help to define what trends are historically "normal" and what the capacity thresholds are for future growth. Can the local ambulance service handle 25% more calls due to drilling operations? Can the existing housing stock handle the creation of 50 new jobs? How about 500? Can the school system accommodate 15% more students? Having answers to these types of questions can make the growth process much easier for local governments.
3. Pay attention to and project drilling activity:
   Pay attention to the drilling locations in your community and the number of drilling rigs that are operating. Talk with company representatives, and state permitting officials, as well as pay attention to larger industry trends to get a feel about what the future will hold for drilling activity in your area. Produce drilling projections for your area that estimate the number of drilling rigs and the length of the development time.
4. Create impact projection scenarios.
   Use the development projections and what your community has seen thus far to anticipate the future demand on local services and the changes to your community. How many new jobs do you expect in your area? How many temporary workers will be looking for a place to stay? How many new students could arrive in your schools? How many additional calls for emergency services could there be per month?
   

Of course, natural gas development is fraught with uncertainty, and no projection scenario will be 100% accurate. However, having answers to these types of questions and simply going through the process of identifying possible areas of strength and weakness will create stronger communities regardless of how the development proceeds.

Gas Field Jobs

1. Will gas development create lots of new jobs in my community?

There is certainly that potential, although it is not guaranteed. The amount of job creation will depend on a number of factors that will be different from community to community. Two big factors are where the development takes place and where the companies locate their offices and shops – if there is a lot of development near your community and a lot of gas field companies set up shop there, then there will be lots of new jobs in your community. If they drill only a few wells near you, then the companies may only commute to your location for work but keep their offices elsewhere. Gas industry experience in other parts of the county have taught us that gas companies are willing to commute tremendous distances if they don't want to set up shop in a new location. It is still too early to tell where the development is going to occur and where gas field-related businesses and companies will locate.

It also depends on what you mean by "lots" – for example, a dozen new gas field positions within a company located in a small community could make a huge difference, while the same amount of new jobs would make a much smaller impact in a larger city.

2. What kind of jobs will be available in the gas field?

A very wide spectrum of jobs will be available, although the majority of them will tend to be either physically or technically skilled in nature. Jobs can range from office secretaries to backhoe operators to petroleum engineers, and can range from needing no experience to requiring a Ph.D. However, the majority will require some sort of vocational training and experience that demonstrates a mechanical aptitude. Some of the most sought-after vocational backgrounds include: welding, diesel service technicians and mechanics, petroleum technology, crane operations, CDL certification, and etc. Some general labor (roustabout) and drilling rig (roughneck) jobs can be had with little to no experience; however experience within the industry or additional training will greatly increase your position and pay. And be advised that gas industry workers of all stripes pride themselves on working extremely long and hard hours, regardless of the day, time, or temperature!

3. Will these gas field jobs be permanent?

For the majority of jobs in the gas field, the answer is no, they will only be around for as long as the companies are drilling gas wells. The amount of workers needing during the drilling phase is many, many times larger than the amount needed afterward to manage the production of the gas. Drilling activity in the Marcellus Shale could last 20 or 30 years, or even longer, which to some people might be considered permanent. On the other hand, drilling activity in many areas of the Marcellus Shale could slow significantly after 15 years or less – it is too early to tell at this stage of development.

When the drilling phase is completed, the vast majority of jobs will no longer be needed, however a small core of jobs related to managing the production of natural gas will be required as long as the wells are producing gas. Current estimates are that Marcellus Shale wells will produce gas for 30-40 years. After that point, the gas fields will be retired and no workers will be required.

4. How much do Gas Field jobs pay?

This can range widely as well, however overall it is similar to the building or construction industries. . Unskilled, inexperienced laborers can expect to start at perhaps $12hr, while skilled tradesmen can expect much more than that. The exception that everyone hears about are the drilling rig workers (roughnecks) who can many times expect to start out making $20/hr or more along with great benefits, as well as with fantastic opportunities for advancement.  Keep in mind that roughnecks earn their keep, as the week on/week off 12-hour shifts are physically exhausting, and not to mention dangerous.

 Environmental Issues

1. Are there environmental concerns with drilling?

One gas extraction technique, called “hydrofracturing” uses highly pressurized water to fracture rock formations deep underground. To improve performance, the water is usually mixed with lubricating chemicals. Though water quality problems with gas drilling have been uncommon due to modern regulations, monitoring, and enforcement, gas drilling waste water contamination is a possibility.

The New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University cites well pad and access road sediment runoff, groundwater pollution, and stream contamination as legitimate concerns, particularly with Marcellus Shale drilling.

2. If I sign a lease and a gas company drills a well, how extensive will the impact on my land be?

The impact on your land depends on many factors. It might be more or less depending on the access to your property, the size and number of wells (usually no more than a single well), the type of drilling, etc. Most well sites are 2-5 acres in size and are cleared for heavy machinery and heavy truck traffic. There will be substantial gravel access roads to the drill site because they will be used to support the heavy truck traffic and will be built to last for the indefinite amount of time the well will remain productive. Metering stations and compressor buildings are also often installed.

A gas company may draw from available water supplies, such as streams, ponds and water wells unless otherwise specified in the lease. There is also a need for small pipeline to transport the gas from the well to a main transport line. Before signing a lease, you should consider what you want your land for (e.g., farming, hunting, natural beauty) and if a gas drilling operation on your land is compatible with your interests. You should also consider the noise and disturbance of having a drilling operation on your property and next to your neighbors.

3. I am going to sign a lease, or drilling is going to take place near me, how do I protect my water supply?

You can negotiate with the gas company that they take a pre-drilling water sample and a post-drilling sample to show if there is any change in quality resulting from the gas operation. Some landowners feel more comfortable paying for an independent water test of their own before and after drilling takes place on or near their land. There are products available for you to test your own water, but in the instance of legal action, only professionally taken samples will be viewed as credible.

4. A gas company has done testing or drilling on or near my property and I have noticed a decline in my water quality. What should I do?

You should address the issue immediately. You should begin by calling your local Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) office, who will investigate your concern and take the appropriate steps. If drilling is planned for your area, it is wise to have your water tested by a certified agency, so that any degradation in water quality occurring as a result of drilling can be clearly attributable to the drilling.

5. Should I let the gas company store gas on my property?

In certain cases, natural gas can be pumped back into a gas well after being extracted elsewhere. Gas storage fields can be developed in depleted natural gas reservoirs, and only with a permit from the DEC (ECL Sect. 23-1301). Gas is stored to take advantage of seasonal market changes. Gas is in higher demand in the winter, so gas extracted during the summer can be pumped down into the gas formations under pressure, anticipating release closer to winter. Gas storage poses little hazard to the landowner; it makes use of depleted reservoirs. Although gas storage can increase wellhead revenue, it can also complicate the private gas lease.

It is appropriate to consider gas storage separately from the original exploration and drilling lease, and develop a separate gas storage lease, possibly for added income. Gas storage leases are often arranged with a completely different company, so if gas storage is proposed in the exploration lease, it can often be easily negotiated out. Landowners should be alert to the ways in which gas storage will affect their lease payments. For example, a well might be shut-in and not producing marketable gas. If that well is converted for storage, a storage fee similar to a rental payment would continue, but with no royalties. These payment changes should be clearly described in the lease.