Potential aftereffects of hydraulic fracking, a method of pumping pressurized water and other chemicals through shale to “fracture” the rock and extract the natural methane gas, has some questioning the safety of water supplies.

To ensure water supply safety, a Penn State extension educator believes in the importance of outlining, in the drilling lease, when water is tested, to ensure against potentially dangerous pollutants. In the fracking process, wastewater is generated and must be removed from the drill site.

Testing

The important thing to remember is: accept the water testing from the drill company. If you want to test the water yourself, “decide what you can afford,” said Bryan R. Swistock, extension associate, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Resources Research Institute. Those costs can be hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.

Swistock spoke Aug. 17 during the annual Penn State Ag Progress Days at Rockspring, Pa. The topic: protecting water supplies during Marcellus gas drilling.

Check credentials

The important thing to remember, according to the extension educator, is to ensure the well testers are independent, from a state-accredited lab, and not employed by the gas company. Ensure the testing is spelled out in the lease agreement.

“Whatever is in the lease agreement will trump” when it comes to ensuring well water is protected. “The more testing you do,” said Swistock, “the more legal protection you have.”

Over one million Pennsylvania homes and farms and 3 million people use private water wells and springs, according to Swistock. Ninety percent are drilled and 10 percent are hand-dug wells and springs.

About 45 percent have never been properly tested (Pennsylvania is one of the few states that do not require testing) and approximately 41 percent fail at least one health-based standard.

In addition, Swistock stated he sees a number of issues with regard to proper design and maintenance. Wells are often not capped properly — he has discovered bees’ nests, rodents or even no caps at all.

Another hazard is animal control — he once saw a dog tied to a well with his doghouse placed well within the 100-foot setback.

Guidelines

Important guidelines, according to Swistock, are:

• Maintain your own wellhead site, free from pets and other intrusions to protect the overall quality of your well water.

• Ensure enough setback from streams and waterways. At least a 100 foot radius protection area should be maintained from existing well heads, streams, and wetlands for storage of farm and home items, animals, etc.

• Casing should be above ground, with a sanitary well cap, grout seal, and sealed spring box, etc.

• Understand that pre-drilling problems are common. In a 2006-2007 survey of 701 wells, the water contained or was corrosive, hard water, coliform bacteria, iron, and low Ph among other issues.

• Naturally occurring methane is present in about 20 percent of water wells. Low amounts are less than 1 milligram (mg) per liter. A cause for concern is when methane reaches 5-10 mg per liter (the well must be vented).

If the measurement reaches 20-25 mgs per liter, the water should be aerated. But methane is one of the “easier” items to remove from water, according to Swistock. There are no drinking water standards for methane, he said.

• Don’t wait too long before drilling. Make sure the testing is done close to the time that well drilling begins.

“Cooperate with testing, allow testing to occur,” he said. The testing runs in “tiers,” with costs dependent on the level of testing, which can run into several hundreds of dollars.

Basic testing looks for methane, chloride, sodium and other elements and compounds. More complex testing will look at baryon, iron, manganese, and others. Ensuring water safety rests on the drilling company for 1,000 feet of the gas well and within six months from of the start of drilling, according to Swistock.

Results

Penn State will soon see the results of its own water well research on 250 water wells across the Marcellus Shale drilling region. The report will be released in the fall and may answer a lot of questions about the safety of fracking.

The study will be released by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania and will look at approximately 18 different elements and compounds in water and what effects on well water fracking may have.

One question: does fracking affect the very deep underground water, known as “brine,” originally from eons-old oceans, but stored deep underground?

Brine is “nasty stuff,” said Swistock.

The big question is, if drilling and fracking penetrates deep enough, could brine move into protected waters? Additional research is needed, despite the ongoing work in opening up new wells daily.

These gas estimates are significantly more than the last USGS assessment of the Marcellus Shale in the Appalachian Basin in 2002, which estimated a mean of about 2 trillion cubic feet of gas and 0.01 billion barrels of natural gas liquids.

Reason

The increase in undiscovered, technically recoverable resource is due to new geologic information and engineering data, as technological developments in producing unconventional resources have been significant in the last decade. This Marcellus Shale estimate is of unconventional (or continuous-type) gas resources.

Since the 1930s, almost every well drilled through the Marcellus found noticeable quantities of natural gas. However, in late 2004, the Marcellus was recognized as a potential reservoir rock, instead of just a regional source rock, meaning that the gas could be produced from it instead of just being a source for the gas.

Technological improvements resulted in commercially viable gas production and the rapid development of a major, new continuous natural gas and natural gas liquids play in the Appalachian Basin, the oldest producing petroleum province in the U.S.

Estimate

This USGS assessment is an estimate of continuous gas and natural gas liquid accumulations in the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin.

The estimate of undiscovered natural gas ranges from 43.0 to 144.1 trillion cubic feet of gas (95 percent to 5 percent probability, respectively), and the estimate of natural gas liquids ranges from 1.6 to 6.2 billion barrels (95 percent to 5 percent probability, respectively).

There are no conventional petroleum resources assessed in the Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin. These new estimates are for technically recoverable oil and gas resources, which are those quantities of oil and gas producible using currently available technology and industry practices, regardless of economic or accessibility considerations.

Locations

As such, these estimates include resources beneath both onshore and offshore areas (such as Lake Erie) and beneath areas where accessibility may be limited by policy and regulations imposed by land managers and regulatory agencies.

The Marcellus Shale assessment covered areas in Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. USGS is the only provider of publicly available estimates of undiscovered technically recoverable oil and gas resources of onshore lands and offshore state waters.

The USGS worked with the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey, the Ohio Geological Survey, and representatives from the oil and gas industry and academia to develop an improved geologic understanding of the Marcellus Shale.

The USGS Marcellus Shale assessment was undertaken as part of a nationwide project assessing domestic petroleum basins using standardized methodology and protocol.

It’s a question Penn State Cooperative Extension educator Robin Kuleck stopped asking — wondering if that $200,000 natural gas lease she was reviewing was really supposed to read $20,000, or maybe just $2,000 — after she learned the potential income behind natural gas leases in the Keystone State.

That potential is huge; massive Marcellus shale deposits chock full of natural gas pockets cover an eastern swath of Ohio, two-thirds of Pennsylvania and nearly all of West Virginia, giving landowners a chance to cash in big time.

Extension specialists warned farmers at last week’s Ag Progress Days in Rock Springs, Pa., to double- or triple-check a lease before signing, and to manage the income or royalties wisely.
Drilling

Dave Messersmith, an Extension educator from Wayne County, Pa., said landowners are sometimes blown away by the income potential drillers offer and make hasty decisions to sign on the dotted line, but he warns against it.

“Talk to people before you sign. See what the neighbors have heard,” he said.

“And consider that most well pads are 5 acres. You’ll have to have an access road and deal with traffic and noise; how well would you like that?” he said.

Take time

“People spend a lot of time figuring the terms of the lease and doing research, and you should put the same amount of time into the next important step, managing the income you’ll have wisely,” he added.

Messersmith said he’s heard many stories of farmers getting a huge gas well paycheck in the mail, then not being sure how to spend it or manage it wisely, he said.

Worse yet, he said, are the farmers who spend money they’re promised that never comes, then get stuck with bigger debts and headaches.

“Learn to live with your deal,” Messersmith warns. “You signed [the lease] and even if you hear of the neighbor getting more, it’s a done deal.”

“People spend a lot of time figuring the terms of the lease and doing research, and you should put the same amount of time into the next important step, managing the income you’ll have wisely.”

Dave Messersmith

Penn State Cooperative Extension

Changes

Messersmith said there are many ways a landowner can make money off the natural gas below their property — from a lease, royalty income, pipeline right-of-way, or from related services like providing water and stone.

But he cautions against getting too excited and seeing dollar signs too soon.

“Production may decline 70 percent in the first year, and then another 30 percent the next year,” he warned. “You’ve got to look at the life of the well because your later checks will be much smaller,” he said.

“Plan accordingly,” he recommended. “Don’t build a standard of living off what that first month’s check is.”
Paperwork

Other experts are recommending professional help for landowners faced with the prospect of gas wells on their property.

Extension’s Cathy Bowen said it’s beneficial for a lease owner to form a support team including a certified professional accountant, attorney, insurance agent, and financial planner or adviser.

Bowen said not all of these experts will have experience negotiating natural gas leases or knowing tax implications of owning one, so be sure to seek out one who has that knowledge.

“Don’t be shy. Ask them questions. It’s your money and your life, so get the information you need,” Bowen said.
Uncle Sam

Robin Kuleck said another implication of having a gas well on your property — and a concern that often goes unaddressed until it’s too late — is the possibility your income will climb significantly and put you into a higher tax bracket.

“Every situation is different, depending on whether you have other income, your age and family structure,” Kuleck said.

Kuleck also warned retired landowners that payments may make Social Security payments taxable, so be sure to consult a tax professional.

“Work with them to understand the tax forms and be sure everything is filled out correctly. It’s your money and your signature on the tax form. It’s your responsibility.”

Landowners often consider selling minerals, timber, coal, oil, gas, topsoil, development rights, carbon, or wind — but what are the ramifications of these agreements? How and for how long will they affect you and your heirs?

Before you sign an agreement, make sure that you are well informed and protect your assets, and your local soil and water conservation district (SWCD) can help.

Marcellus meeting. Within the Marcellus Shale area, natural gas is generally the mineral of interest. Of the 60 permits issued for the Marcellus shale drilling to date in Ohio, Belmont County leads with 19.

Since the Marcellus wells require larger acreage, the Belmont Soil & Water Conservation District is concerned about the impact on farming practices and the soil and water.

Belmont Soil & Water Conservation District, County Farm Bureau, County OSU Extension Service, and Belmont Technical College are sponsoring two informational meetings to help local residents make better decisions about oil and gas leases and protecting natural resources, soil and water.

The first meeting is Thursday, July 15, at 7 p.m. at the Belmont Technical Horizon Room. A second meeting will be held in October, with details to be announced later.

‘Mineral rights.’ Many local landowners have recently been approached about selling their “mineral rights”. Mineral rights are the right entitling a mineral owner to extract a mineral from the earth or to receive payment in the form of royalties for the extraction of specific minerals.

Mineral property is considered a real property much like surface property, so it can be retained, transferred and leased in whole or in part. It is possible to own the mineral rights or a property without owning the surface rights.

A lease is a legal document (contract) between the landowner (lessor) and an individual or company (lessee) that allows the company to drill and develop the oil and gas minerals beneath the property. Once a lease is signed, it may last for many years.

Larry Gearhardt. Ohio Farm Bureau attorney, will discuss the components of a wisely executed lease agreement that will protect the landowner, their heirs, and the property during the life of the well.

Environmental impact. Besides the financial aspect, landowners must consider the environmental effects. A typical padsite is three to five acres. It takes one to four weeks to construct the padsite, three to four weeks to drill the well and then taking down the equipment. The company will regularly return to monitor and maintain the site.

An average well requires 3 million gallons of water to drill and fracture. Once the well is completed the brine is usually pumped into saltwater disposal wells, but where are those wells located?

Once the well is drilled, lines must be installed to deliver the gas. At some wellsites, trucks may return to remove naturally occurring water, which is separated from natural gas during the gathering process and stored in tanks located on the site.

You don’t just collect the money and then forget about the consequences of your decision.

Inspection. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Mineral Resources Management (DMRM) Oil & Gas Division’s responsibilities include regulating Ohio’s oil and gas drilling, production, brine disposal, solution mining and underground injection operations.

The division staff inspects the drilling, restoration, and plugging of all oil and gas wells in Ohio. They also issue permits for all oil and gas, injection and solution mining wells in Ohio.

Rick Simmers, statewide oil and gas enforcement supervisor, will be present to cover the regulations and how they are implemented.

* * *

And just as an aside, the Belmont Soil & Water Conservation District office recently moved, and is now located at 101 N. Market Street, Suite D, St. Clairsville; 740-526-0027.

In western Pa., drilling has already commenced in just about every county from the southern border to the New York state line, and permits have been issued in Beaver and Butler counties. Ohio won’t be far behind.

While a landman from a gas drilling company may approach landowners with a deal that appears to be good to be true (and it may be), there are many factors to consider before moving forward.

Some landowners report discontent after signing the leases, while others don’t appear to give it a second thought.

However, one Pennsylvania attorney gives this general advice to anyone considering signing a lease with a gas drilling company: Take your time and consult with an attorney.

Atty. Dale A. Tice, of Marshall, Parker & Associates, with offices in four Pa. cities, said landowners need to protect themselves and that needs to be done with the aid of an attorney.

First, be sure you understand the lease that has been proposed for your property.

Landowners should not just sign the oil and gas lease presented by the company landman, Tice said. Everything in the lease is negotiable, and the starting point for landowners will be to review the proposed lease with an experienced oil and gas attorney.

If the gas company begins drilling operations on the leased premises during the primary term of the lease, the lease will be extended as long as gas is produced in paying quantities, which could be a very long time. This means that many landowners will have only one chance to get their lease negotiations done right.

Ben Funderburg, vice president of land at Ohio Valley Energy, an oil and gas company based in Youngstown, also points out some items landowners might want to consider.

Size of your tract

If your parcel is equal to or smaller than those around you, the company approaching you might not necessarily need your particular lot to amass the total land area it needs for an exploration project.

But if your parcel is larger, it may be a key piece in the geologic puzzle, and thus command a higher price. If you do not already know the relative sizes of the parcels around you, that information is easy to find out through your county government.

Keep in mind, especially if you have a large piece of property, that an oil and gas developer may not necessarily want your property for drilling — yet. It may just be amassing land for seismic evaluation needed to precisely measure its geologic opportunity.

Location

Your parcel is more valuable if it’s in proximity to pipelines, main roads or existing production. These logistical advantages reduce the cost for getting oil and gas from your property to market.

If you’re in an area that is near a large transmission pipeline, your land is more valuable than a parcel that is not.

Competition

The oil and gas representative approaching you might not necessarily be the only one interested in your land.

In areas known to contain rich deposits, there are often multiple drillers competing to secure leases. As with any other product or service, higher demand means higher prices.

To find out how competitive the market may be in your area, check with your neighbors to see who may have approached them. Check with your local county recorder’s office to see if any drilling companies have already recorded leases in your area.

Geology. In areas where proven reserves are already developed, prices being paid to nearby landowners could serve as a logical guide.

But make sure you’re comparing geological apples to apples. Wells planned for shallower areas, like the proven and heavily developed Clinton formation, may not be as lucrative as those envisioned for deeper shales that are unproven, yet highly promising.

One thing to remember is that an agreement by your neighbors on a certain price per acre doesn’t mean you have to accept such a price. In fact, if any oil and gas company presents you with a “non-negotiable price,” you should be suspicious. All leases are negotiable.

Best advice

Tice reminds all landowners to get an attorney’s advice before signing any agreement with any gas leasing company.

Dale Arnold, director of energy services for OFBF, said his office is getting bombarded by phone calls from residents who have been approached by landmen about leasing their property to gas companies in the past several months.

He said it is easy to determine why there is such a boom in the industry: It has become cost effective to drill through the Marcellus Shale for natural gas deposits.
Drilling in Ohio

Arnold said Washington and Belmont counties have Marcellus Shale wells in operation. In addition, a well was drilled July 31 in Jefferson County.

He added that when presented with a lease by a gas company, it is a time to begin negotiations, not complete them.

“You need to get an attorney. You need to get one now,” Arnold said.
Ohio’s laws

One thing to keep in mind, Arnold told the crowd, was that Ohio’s oil and gas well laws are tougher than the U.S. environmental protection regulations in regards to water and environmental safety.

Arnold told the crowd to watch out for the wording regarding the specific layer leased. The lease should also define what depth it will reach.

Other concerns raised at the meeting include water supply safety, what is being put into the ground during the fracking process, and during drilling, and how to establish a water source level baseline.
References

Another tip from Arnold is to ask for references. Don’t settle for references from people with leases. Ask for at least five references from people have had gas wells drilled on their property. He stressed to ask for more than three because three can be easily obtained, five might not be.

It is also important to make sure the company clearly understands you want the first year’s lease rental and any bonus to be distributed when the lease is signed. Also, be sure to have an attorney put in the lease, the property owner has a set number of days (an example of 30) to cash the check or back out of the lease without cashing the check.

Also be sure to include in the lease, a minimum depth for any pipes that have to be buried on the property. This is especially important if the property is being farmed. Keep in mind any conservation practices you may implement on the property and farm tiling in fields.
Require maps

Include in the lease that any lines have to be clearly identified and marked and they are included on all sub- and above-surface maps. Be sure the lease states that the property owner gets a copy of the maps and one is filed at the courthouse.

Arnold added another tip is to have an attorney include a provision for an escape clause in the lease in case the property owner wants out at the end of the lease. Watch out for automatic renewal clauses that can occur if you cash checks after the lease is finished.

Arnold emphasized that all landowners must be willing to do their homework and be armed with knowledge and legal advice.

Murphy is co-director of the Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research. He has 25 years of field experience and educational consultation with landowners, government agencies, and public officials. His recent focus has been on natural gas exploration.

He has lectured throughout Pennsylvania on Marcellus Shale and topics associated with its development including landowner leasing issues, environmental impacts, the drilling process, infrastructure development, and financial considerations.

In addition, Murphy lives on a farm with his wife and children. The farm utilizes a spring and Marcellus Shale drilling is occurring on his neighbor’s property.

“Yes, these things are concerns to me, too,” Murphy said. He added that everything has to be taken into consideration when it comes to Marcellus Shale drilling.

Q. What is the most dangerous part of drilling through the Marcellus Shale for gas? Is it the fracking process?

A. Murphy said it is not the fracking that should cause the most concern, it is actually the truck traffic associated with the drilling process.

Murphy added that what many people don’t realize that is that the water testing done before the drilling begins usually shows problems that have been there for years, it’s just that we don’t have regulations to test drinking water and most people don’t do it on a regular basis.

Methane is a concern, however. He has seen a few places where the methane gas actually makes it way up the well, into the drinking water well, up through the pipes and into the house. Murphy was quick to point out, though, that many times the methane gas was there prior to the drilling, but the drilling just may have provided a way for it to escape.

Murphy said increased regulation in Pennsylvania is helping address concerns over water and methane. He expects the regulations to be adapted in other areas of Marcellus Shale drilling region.

He said there can be a problem with the casing and grouting of the well if not drilled correctly. Sometimes the casing moves in the well and that causes the grouting to be uneven. However, Pennsylvania requires a centralizer in the casing, which keeps the casing centered. That means grouting will be equal all the way around the casing, and prevents methane gas from escaping.

He said the biggest concern with fracking brine fluid is not when it is in the ground. The problem is with brine surface being on the surface.

Murphy added that’s where the concern should be and not necessarily on the fracking process if the regulations are followed. He said the increased truck traffic poses a concern because of the potential for an accident especially if the truck is carrying brine water.

He added there have been a few cases of a truck overturning in Pennsylvania spilling the brine water.

“You just can’t prevent everything,” Murphy said.

He added there is a trend toward the construction of open pits for liquids and that could prove to be a positive development.

Murphy said 250 Department of Environmental Protection field inspectors are acting as the eyes and ears on the ground, ensuring state regulations are being followed. Their salaries are funded through the permit fees charged by the Pennsylvania for drilling.

Q. What is the biggest impact on the agriculture community you have seen happen in Pennsylvania?

A. Financial impacts are the biggest.

Murphy even called the effects life changing, as farmers can rebuild infrastructure and plan for retirement.

“Barns are being painted and repaired. Homes are being updated. The landscape in rural areas is being changed,” Murphy said.

Cash being generated from the Marcellus Shale drilling and leasing is helping to plan for the next generation of farmers. He said cash wasn’t part of the equation in the past and it will help ease the farm transition.

Q. How will the Marcellus Shale boom change the type of agriculture being produced on many farms?

A. The types of agriculture are changing and changing fast. Murphy said some dairy farms are switching from milk cows to some other type of agriculture that may be less demanding. He said the number of dairy farms are decreasing as the boom moves across Pennsylvania and he expects to see the same effect in Ohio.

Murphy added it’s not just in animal production — it is also happening in agriculture-related businesses. He said some seed corn providers are seeing a decrease in sales because some farmers have decided to not plant and instead invest funds in another way.

Q. Have there been changes in the labor force as a side effect of the Marcellus Shale boom?

A. Murphy said one effect is that local drilling jobs are getting filled with local individuals, which creates a loss of farm labor.

He said the gas companies are looking for a labor pool that is local, works hands-on and will work outside in all types of weather.

“Who fits that description? Farmers.”

He said the companies will be paying better wages and benefits than most farms can provide, which will result in a shortage of farm labor.

Q. What is the effect on truck traffic as a result of the drilling moving into the area?

A. Big impacts. Murphy said there is a lot of material that has to be moved from one pad to another once the drilling rigs move in.

Roads are the hardest hit — they simply break up under the traffic. He added, however, in Pennsylvania, gas companies must obtain permits or post to a bond to use the roads. The companies he has known are willing to come back and fix them, and have either improved or upgraded them in most cases.

“No question, there is a lot of tear and wear and on them,” Murphy said.

Q. What other impacts can landowners expect to see as the drilling process continues?

A. Some landowners who have not leased because they do not own a lot of land will still be approached for a pipeline right of way.

Murphy said the trend is for fewer pads to be developed, but more wells on those pads. This requires more gathering line to transport the gas. However, the rights of way still needs to be gained for the gathering line.

He said in Bradford County, Pa., there are now 10,000 miles of it. Two years ago, he estimated there was less than 500 miles.

There is also a concern about soil erosion. He said some farms can expect to see a 3- to 5-year drag in agriculture production, or yields, of soil after a pipeline is installed on the property. However, studies are showing production picks up where it left off after that time.

Owners of large bodies of water are also part of the mix. He said gas companies cannot purchase water, but they can sign leases with owners to gain the right of way to get the water.

And other landowners who may own land near a well site could also see benefits. The gas company may lease a right of way from their adjoining property to the well site.

The site can be viewed at ohiodnr.com under “ODNR Links” at the top left of the page.
Content

The department’s shale development Web page features topics related to exploration in the Marcellus and Utica formations, along with fact sheets on hydraulic fracturing, drilling wastewater and well site safety. The Web page is regularly updated and new fact sheets, such as shale geology and deep injection well disposal, are planned.

Visitors to the site can also view several relevant reports including the recently released positive review regarding Ohio’s drilling regulations as they pertain to shale development. The report by the State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations was compiled by an independent review team.
Report

The complete report may be viewed by using the link provided on the Shale Development Web page. The new shale page uses a variety of links to related websites which can help visitors learn even more about shale exploration and production, oil and gas drilling, Ohio’s regulatory framework and related mineral extraction issues.

The ODNR Division of Mineral Resources Management provides for the safe and environmentally sound development of mineral and fossil fuel extraction sites. For more information, visit ohiodnr.com/mineral.

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 Oil Field Ohio Advice
Water Testing

Before allowing Marcellus Shale gas extraction on their land, property owners should spell out, in the lease agreement to drill, what kind of water testing is done before — and after — drilling.

Potential aftereffects of hydraulic fracking, a method of pumping pressurized water and other chemicals through shale to “fracture” the rock and extract the natural methane gas, has some questioning the safety of water supplies.

To ensure water supply safety, a Penn State extension educator believes in the importance of outlining, in the drilling lease, when water is tested, to ensure against potentially dangerous pollutants. In the fracking process, wastewater is generated and must be removed from the drill site.

 Spend Gas Well Money Wisely

“Are there too many zeroes behind that number?”

It’s a question Penn State Cooperative Extension educator Robin Kuleck stopped asking — wondering if that $200,000 natural gas lease she was reviewing was really supposed to read $20,000, or maybe just $2,000 — after she learned the potential income behind natural gas leases in the Keystone State.

That potential is huge; massive Marcellus shale deposits chock full of natural gas pockets cover an eastern swath of Ohio, two-thirds of Pennsylvania and nearly all of West Virginia, giving landowners a chance to cash in big time.

Extension specialists warned farmers at last week’s Ag Progress Days in Rock Springs, Pa., to double- or triple-check a lease before signing, and to manage the income or royalties wisely.

“People spend a lot of time figuring the terms of the lease and doing research, and you should put the same amount of time into the next important step, managing the income you’ll have wisely,” Dave Messersmith added.

Messersmith said he’s heard many stories of farmers getting a huge gas well paycheck in the mail, then not being sure how to spend it or manage it wisely, he said.

Worse yet, he said, are the farmers who spend money they’re promised that never comes, then get stuck with bigger debts and headaches.

“Learn to live with your deal,” Messersmith warns. “You signed [the lease] and even if you hear of the neighbor getting more, it’s a done deal.”

“People spend a lot of time figuring the terms of the lease and doing research, and you should put the same amount of time into the next important step, managing the income you’ll have wisely.”

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Ohio Gas and Oil Article of the Week

COLUMBUS OHIO — Recognizing the importance of providing accurate information regarding shale development in Ohio, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Mineral Resources Management launched an enhanced oil and gas Web page that focuses on shale development.

The site can be viewed at ohiodnr.com under “ODNR Links” at the top left of the page.
Content

The department’s shale development Web page features topics related to exploration in the Marcellus and Utica formations, along with fact sheets on hydraulic fracturing, drilling wastewater and well site safety. The Web page is regularly updated and new fact sheets, such as shale geology and deep injection well disposal, are planned.

Visitors to the site can also view several relevant reports including the recently released positive review regarding Ohio’s drilling regulations as they pertain to shale development. The report by the State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations was compiled by an independent review team.
Report

The complete report may be viewed by using the link provided on the Shale Development Web page. The new shale page uses a variety of links to related websites which can help visitors learn even more about shale exploration and production, oil and gas drilling, Ohio’s regulatory framework and related mineral extraction issues.

The ODNR Division of Mineral Resources Management provides for the safe and environmentally sound development of mineral and fossil fuel extraction sites. For more information, visit ohiodnr.com/mineral.