In order to make informed and appropriate decisions for their communities, local government officials need relevant information about the economic and environmental impacts of natural gas drilling in their towns or counties.
The resources listed below address community-related issues and provide information that may assist in this decision-making.
Toolkit for Municipal Officials
The Marcellus Shale in Other Communities
Ecomonic Impacts of Marcellus Shale in Affected Counties, Penn State Extension ( March 25, 2012)
The Economic Value of Shale Gas in Ohio, Amanda L. Weinstein & Mark D. Partridge, Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Developmental Economics, Ohio State University (December 2011)
Marcellus Shale Gas Development: What does it mean for Pennsylvania Schools?, Penn State Extension (March 18, 2012)
Cornell City and Regional Planning: Land Use & Environmental Planning Student Presentations (12/2010)
(Instructor: George R. Frantz, AICP, ASLA)
Marcellus Shale Communities: Report, Recommendations and Resources for a Collaborative Approach to Planning and Local Land Use Tools - Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (October, 2010).
Health Impact Assessment for Battlement Mesa, Garfield County, Colorado, Colorado School of Public Health, Colorado University Denver (September, 2010)
Marcellus Shale Policy Briefing - Natural Gas Extractions Using Horizontal Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing: Impacts on Water Resources and Communities, Cornell University faculty, Washington, D.C., February 22, 2010.
Marcellus Shale Gas Well Drilling: Regulations to Protect Water Supplies in Pennsylvania - a six-page fact sheet on PA state regulations related to water resources adjacent to Marcellus drilling sites. Penn State Extension
Zoning and the Marcellus Shale(H. Blaikie, V. Demchak)
Energy Boomtowns & Natural Gas: Implications for Marcellus Shale Local Governments and Rural Communities - NERCRD (Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, Penn State University) Rural Development Paper No. 43
Gas Drilling in New York State: Riches or Ruin for Landowners and Communities - Cornell University Community and Regional Development Institute (CaRDI)
Otsego County (NY) Planning Department - Natural Gas Drilling Information
Bradford County (PA) Natural Gas Updates
Tools For Your Community
Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG) publishes a white paper on taxation issues related to gas drilling. (February 12, 2012)
Municipal Guide for Energy Impacted Communities, prepared by the Souther Tier Central Regional Planning & Development Board in Cooperation with planners from Chemung, Steuben, and Schuyler Counties. The guide provides an introduction to planning and its application to the energy industry, as well as other large scale energy developments. There's a quick link to the energy guide on their homepage, as well as on STC's natural gas page. (Nov, 2011)
New York State legislative bills addressing the hydrofracturing of natural gas that are currently under consideration with status updated as of July 29, 2011
New York State legislative bills addressing the hydrofracturing of natural gas that have not been reintroduced as of February 9, 2011.
Marcellus Shale Communities: Report, Recommendations and Resources for a Collaborative Approach to Planning and Local Land Use Tools - Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (October, 2010).
Marcellus Shale: Local Roads Impacts - a webinar presented by Lynne Irwin and David Orr, Cornell Local Roads Program, Cornell University (June 23, 2010).
Preserving Municipal Roads Handout (pdf) - David Orr, PE, Cornell Local Roads Program
Natural Gas Production and Municipal Home Rule in New York - by Michael Kenneally and Todd Mathes. New York Zoning Law and Practice Report Vol. 10 No.4 (January/February, 2010).
Preserving Municipal Roads: What are Your Options? (pdf) - presentation by David P. Orr, PE, Cornell Local Roads Program at the NYS County Highway Superintendents Association Winter Meeting, January 20, 2010, Albany, NY.
Bradford County Resource Data Book - a resource guide developed by the Office of Community Planning & Grants, Bradford County, PA that may serve as a model for communities wishing to develop similar resources. (2010)
Natural Gas Impacts to Local Governments and the Role of Community Task Forces (pdf) - CCE presentation (5/09)
Negotiating a Municipal Oil & Gas Lease- Coughlin & Gerhart LLP, NY Conference of Mayors (08/29/08)
Observations Concerning the Role of Local Governments in Relation to Natural Gas Exploration and Production in the Marcellus Shale in the Southern Tier East Region of New York State- (Draft) Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
Planning Tools for Energy Development - Southern Tier Central Regional Planning & Development Board. Contacts: Meghan Thoreau, Planner Southern Tier Central Planning (planner@stny.rr.com); Darby Kiley, Planner Tompkins County Planning Dept. (dkiley@tompkins-co.org).
The Rifle, Silt New Castle Community Development Plan - a blueprint for how a community and industry can work together to successfully manage natural gas in a rural area. Intermountain Oil & Gas BMP Project's additional papers on air quality and emissions.
Preparing for a Natural Gas Boom in Schuyler County, NY - Schuyler County Task Force
A Legal and Practical Guide to Protecting Your Citizens and the Environment in the Face of Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Drilling - Kimberlea Shaw Rea, Esq.
Model Town Ordinances for Road Preservation and Traffic Control - Cornell Local Roads Program, Cornell University.
Cornell Local Roads Program - Contacts: Lynne H. Irwin (lhi1@cornell.edu); David P. Orr (dpo3@cornell.edu) in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University.
Community and Local Government Impacts in our Frequently Asked Question