Natural Gas Leaseholder and Landowner Protection Bills Introduced by Local Lawmaker

'Signing a gas lease is undoubtedly one of the biggest decisions a family will make in their lifetime regarding their property,” state Rep. Jesse White said. 'Anyone who signs a lease deserves at the very least some basic and commonsense protections under

State Rep. Jesse White this week introduced a trio of House bills to protect landowners who lease property to natural gas and oil drillers in Pennsylvania, and help others obtain mineral rights that may exist under their property but are deemed abandoned. White, D-Cecil, said Pennsylvania currently has no reporting requirements or standards for royalty payments, and that his bills promote simple best practices designed to increase transparency and accountability to benefit residents who have signed or are looking to sign leases to develop oil and gas resources. House Bill 1442 would require companies to clearly show on royalty check stubs, payment forms, or other remittance, details of the well’s productivity and any deductions taken by …

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Jesse White, State Representative, 46th District

8:23 am on Thursday, May 23, 2013

I respectfully disagree. I don't think asking a driller to itemize the deductions from a leaseholder's royalty payment is "intrusion"; I think it's transparency and protection. And by allowing a landowner to reclaim dormant mineral rights, it actually increases the possibility of leasing that land to generate revenue.   more ›

Judge Denies MarkWest Appeal Over Compressor Station

The court affirmed the Cecil Township Zoning Board's decision to deny the company's request for a special exception to build the facility.

A Washington County Common Pleas judge this week denied an appeal MarkWest filed over the denial of a special exception to build a natural gas compressor station in Cecil Township. "After careful review of the record...the court is satisfied that the zoning hearing board vigilantly considered all of the relevant evidence and used sound discretion in reaching the conclusion that MarkWest had failed to meet its burden to demonstrate that the proposed compressor facility was of the same general character of other permitted uses within the I1 light industrial zone," Judge John DiSalle wrote in his opinion, which was filed Monday. He continued: "Moreover, the proposed facility does not pass muster to be labled as the same general character of …

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North Strabane Closer to Gas Deal

The Township is negotiating a land lease with Range Resources for 141 acres, and it isn't happy yet.

North Strabane wants a sweeter deal for land it may lease to Range Resources, officials said at the Board of Supervisors’ non-legislative meeting Tuesday. All told, the township is considering leasing 141 acres to the natural gas company for horizontal, non-surface drilling. Land upon which the township building sits accounts for 81 of those acres, with the remaining 60 coming from property that houses a composting facility off of Lindley Road. But as of the last meeting officials had with the company, the proposed deal didn’t meet the expectations of Township Manager Frank Siffrinn. While Range Resources offered $3,000 per acre and 17.5-percent royalties this past January in a deal for 51 acres on McDowell Lane, the company offered $2,500…

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Your Turn

Environmental Protection Meets Economic Opportunity

Guest column about Marcellus Shale drilling—its impact and benefits—by James Protin.

The natural gas industry has been booming in our region for a few years now and it seems like every move the energy companies make is front-page material. In recent weeks I have written about hydraulic fracturing facts, energy companies and their roles in our communities and the economic benefits of natural gas extraction in our region. It has also been my opinion that there had to be a way for Pennsylvanians to reap the economic benefit of natural-gas exploration and production and protect our environment. To that end, the state and federal regulatory agencies, energy companies and environmental agencies have been working together to establish new and expanded regulations related to air and water pollution resulting from natural gas …

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In Brief: Compressor Station Hearing Continued

Cecil Township Zoning Board continues hearing to allow for more public testimony.

More than 100 people attended a Cecil Township Zoning Board hearing tonight, where a special exception request by MarkWest to install a natural gas compressor station about a half-mile north of Coleman Road was considered. The meeting started around 7:30 p.m., when representatives from MarkWest made a presentation before the zoning board, two members of the board of supervisors and its solicitor, and members of the public. At around 9:30 p.m., the board announced it would allow public comment until 10 p.m. -- at which point the meeting would be continued to 7 p.m. Jan. 31 to allow for more testimony. Check back tomorrow for a full report (and photos) from the meeting.

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