Marcellus Shale FACTS from State of Pennsylvania

The Pennsylania Department of Environmental Protection is stepping up to the plate of the "Marcellus Shale" madness offering more educational resources to landowners, to help them make the right choices and protect their land if they choose to allow drilling.

We visited their extensive e-library and found 10 fun facts about Marcellus Shale that you may not know, but that are definitely worth sharing.

10. Natural Gas is extracted from Marcellus Shale during the hydraulic fracturing process. The amount of water typically required for hydraulic fracturing ranges from about one million gallons for a vertical well to approximately five million gallons for a vertical well with a horizontal lateral.

9. You can negotiate lease payments and royalty amounts; well, road and pipeline locations; protections for crops, livestock, buildings and personal property; and expiration date of the lease.  Call an experienced, licensed attorney such as Safe Shale Lease, LLC to help you get the highest payments while ensuring the protections are legally in place for your crops, livestock, family and land.

8. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is not involved in regulating/negating lease agreements between mineral property owners and producers, and does not audit payments, read or calibrate meters or tanks, or otherwise get involved in lease matters. In fact, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection suggests, "If you have been approached by a drilling company about leasing mineral rights on your property, promptly consult an attorney who is familiar with oil and gas law before signing any documents".

7. More than 350,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania since the first commercial oil well was developed in 1859 by Colonel Drake in Titusville.

6.In 2009, Pennsylvania produced about 3.6 million barrels of crude oil (1 barrel = 42 gallons) and 273 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

5.A new regulation went into effect on Aug. 21, 2010 that requires drilling companies to treat drilling water to the safe drinking water standard for Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). This new rule ensures that streams in Pennsylvania do not exceed the safe drinking water standard of 500 milligrams per liter.

4. In addition, a new rule that mandates a 150 foot buffer for the 20,000 miles of Pennsylvania's streams that are the state’s most pristine and highest quality went into effect on Nov. 19, 2010. The combination of the TDS and buffers rule provide unprecedented protection for Pennsylvania's waters.

3. On Feb. 5, 2011, amendments to 25 Pa. Code Chapter 78 updating existing requirements regarding the drilling, casing, cementing, testing, monitoring and plugging of oil and gas wells, and the protection of water supplies were finalized. The strengthened regulations require best well design and construction practices, including comprehensive measures to prevent gas migration as happened in Dimock Township, Susquehanna County.

2. You can view the Year To Date: Inspections, Violations and Enforcements in the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Industry, including Marcellus Shale. Click Here

1. Learn about Marcellus Shale Drilling, Fees, Reporting, Oil and Gas Production and More!  http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/minres/oilgas/educational.htm