Gas Drilling Library
This collection of resources on gas drilling includes links to key information such as NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation (DEC) decisions, webinars, videos and slides from local presentations. Some file sizes are quite large. Since half of the Internet connections in Tompkins County are dial-up, the file sizes are usually noted. If you are interested in a file that is too large for you to download, please see the contact information in the left column to request a CD or DVD.
Impacts of Gas Drilling on Human and Animal Health
Jan., 2012 study by Michelle Bamberger, Veterinarian, and Robert E. Oswald, molecular biology professor, both with Cornell: "Because animals often are exposed continually to air, soil, and groundwater and have more frequent reproductive cycles, animals can be used as sentinels to monitor impacts to human health. This study involved interviews with animal owners who live near gas drilling operations. The findings illustrate which aspects of the drilling process may lead to health problems and suggest modifications that would lessen but not eliminate impacts. Complete evidence regarding health impacts of gas drilling cannot be obtained due to incomplete testing and disclosure of chemicals, and nondisclosure agreements. Without rigorous scientific studies, the gas drilling boom sweeping the world will remain an uncontrolled health experiment on an enormous scale.
Leasing Practices for Landowners." Full report (184 kb). Published in in New Solutions, Vol 22(1).
Leasing Practices for Landowners
Article on Cornell's Small Farms Program website
Potential Impacts of Gas Drilling in the Region
Study by Tompkins County Council of Governments. Press Release. Executive Summary. Full Report.
Hydrofracking and Water
Links to list of chemicals used in fracking by US House of Representatives, National Environmental Services Center Tech Brief "Oil and Gas Extraction and Source Water Protection" and related article " Communities, Water Sources and Potential Impacts of Shale Gas Development"
Tompkins County Legislature
Highlights and resolutions (adopted Dec. 8, 2011)
Compulsory Integration
Energy companies may be able to remove natural gas from your property even if you haven't signed a drilling lease due to the Compulsory Integration provisions of the NY Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Law. View the video of the compulsory integraiton information session (Nov. 14, 2011). Topics covered include: an explanation of Compulsory Integration (CI) and its legislative history; an overview of compulsory integration hearings and your rights; impacts of CI on your land rights and how CI could affect your ability to obtain mortgages and loans.
Presenters, with links to handouts they provided, follow:
- NY State Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, 125th District
- Kenneth Holden, Esq. of Hancock Estabrook in Syracuse, who has represented clients at compulsory integration hearings (overview of compulsory integration 88kb pdf, sample Compulsory Integration Elecction Form);
- Greg May, vice-president for Residential Mortgage Lending at Tompkins Trust Company (sample letter to DEC about the affects of dSGEIS on residential mortgage lending 28kb pdf. Word version 41 kb)
- Carol Chock, TC Legislator and member of the TC Council of Governments Gas Drilling Taskforce Committee on Land Values/Assessment (TCCOG exploration of gas drilling and residential lending 26kb pdf)
- Nancy Larraine Hoffmann, farmer, spokesperson for Land Stewards of NY and former NY State Senator.
Additional information on compulsory integration including NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) webpages on compulsory integration.
Cornell City & Regional Planning Reports on Drilling Impacts
Working papers and policy briefs inform policy makers and citizens about economic and regulatory issues related to shale gas drilling. Working papers present preliminary research results. Policy briefs are short summaries of research on key topics, all aimed at presenting a big picture perspective to help communities make good decisions at the state and local levels.
EESI Briefing on Hydraulic Fracturing
On June 21.2011 the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC about the water impacts of hydraulic fracturing of shale gas deposits. Also known as "fracking", the increased deployment of this technology has come under greater scrutiny in the United States and Germany for numerous reasons: increased water use, impact of the chemicals used, challenges of how to treat wastewater, and induced seismicity. Recent research by Cornell University found that shale gas has a greenhouse gas footprint comparable to coal. At this briefing, U.S. and German experts from the state, federal, and NGO communities shared their perspectives as both countries debate whether and how fracking should be regulated to preserve the economic benefits gained from lower natural gas prices and to protect the health of communities near well sites. Speakers included representatives from both domestic and international organizations. A list of highlights and the full audio and video can be found under the title Transatlantic Perspectives on Shale Gas Development.
Science Communication and the Marcellus Shale
Recorded presentation/discussion by Dr. Poppy McLeod, Dr. Bruce Lewenstein and Don Duggan-Haas. McLeod and Lewenstein are both of the Department of Communications at Cornell University, and Duggan-Haas is an education researcher with the Paleontological Research Institution. McLeod specializes in group communication and decision making. Lewenstein's specialty is public communication of science and technology. Duggan-Haas has special interests in developing conceptual frameworks that facilitate understanding of Earth system science. Hosted by by the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) and the Museum of the Earth June 1, 2011.
Understanding Natural Gas Development on Your Property
Rural landowners are faced with complicated decisions regarding drilling and related activities such as pipelines, compressor stations, water storage and access roads. This MArch 2011 presentation updates landowners on the current status of gas development and highlights key recommendations for those who choose to lease (800 KB PDF). Panel discussion with attorney Randy Marcus and representative of Farm Bureau and Tompkins Landowners Coalition, two co-sponsors, follows. Related handbook on leasing is available from Earthworks.
Gas Lease Workshop
Presentation by attorney Joe Heath and Mike Bosetti, landowner, given in Auburn. Sponsored by: Gas Drilling Awareness of Cortland County.
Energy Transition Summit
A Systems Approach to Energy Transitions: Land, Economic and Community Transformations included presentations on Marcellus Shale gas drilling, such as two on economic issues. Held in March 2011 by Cornell Cooperative Extension.
- Marcellus Shale: Economic Development Implications - Timothy W. Kelsey, Ph.D., State Program Leader, Economic & Community Development, Penn State University
- Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling: What Should We Plan For? - Susan Christopherson, Dept. of City and Regional Planning, Cornell University
- Energy Planning in New York State - John Williams, Director of Energy Analysis, NYSERD
- Overview of Recent Climate Legislation: Overall Impacts and Opportunities for the Agriculture and Forestry Sector - Antonio M. Bento, Ph.D., Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University
- Systems Approach to Energy Transitions - Albert R. George, Ph.D., Mechanical , Aerospace & Systems Engineering, Cornell University
- Natural Gas, Wind and Biofuels - Jeffrey Jacquet, Ph.D. candidate, Dept. of Natural Resources, Cornell University
- Supplies of Sustainably Produced Biomass in New York - Timothy A. Volk, Sr. Research Associate, SUNY Environmental School of Forestry
- Pennsylvania Energy Impacts Assessment - Nels Johnson, Deputy State Director, The Nature Conservancy, Pennsylvania Chapter
- Planning for Energy Transitions - Daniel A. Spitzer, Partner, Hodgson Russ LLP
Gas Drilling, Sustainability & Energy Policy Conference
Hosted by Cornell Law 3/31-4/2/2011
Local Controls to Shale Gas Industrialization
A Forum for Municipal Officials on the Topic of Road and Land Use Regulation. Held in Cooperstown, April 9, 2011
University of Pittsburch Conference
The presentations from the University of Pittsburgh's conference on the Health Effects of Marcellus Gas Extraction (November 19, 2010) are accessible online.
Assessment of the Greenhouse Gas Footprint of Natural Gas from Shale.
Dr. Robert W. Howarth of Cornell University argues against the premise that natural gas is a clean burning fuel that produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than coal when burned (11/15/10) PDF, 115kb.
Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future Report
The CCSF-sponsored report, “A Systems Research Approach to Regional Energy Transitions: The Case of Marcellus Shale Development” August 2010.
Natural Gas Contributions to Climate Change
Does natural gas extraction from shale layers have a role in fighting climate change as the economy transitions from coal to renewable energy? A group of more than 1.4 million scientists, the Council of Scientific Society Presidents, cautioned that there has not been enough study to answer that question. The group's May 2010 letter to senior administrators and legislators in Washington concludes with the sentence. "Priror, thorough science-based studies are required to evalute the impact of massive shale development on rural land uses, water supply and quality, and full-life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions." Read the full text of the letter (PDF, 87 kb). Dr. Robert Howarth, a member of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents, and Cornell Univeristy professor has a preliminary assessment of greenhouse gas contributions from natural gas (PDF, 62 kb) obtained from shale formations.
Separate Gas Drilling Reviews for NYC and Skaneateles Lake Watersheds
DEC article explaining the decision to require a case-by-case review process for drilling in the two NYS watersheds that use unfiltered drinking water from surface-water sources. According to the website, "These watersheds are subject to filtration avoidance determinations (FADs) that present distinct land-disturbance and usage issues independent of DEC's ongoing review of the environmental safety of the high-volume hydraulic fracturing process."
Gas Drilling in Bradford County, PA
Mike Lovegreen, Conservation District Manager for Bradford County, PA gave a presentation to the Tompkins County Water Resources Council (WRC) on April 19, 2010. Excepts from the meeting minutes give a summary of his presentation. View his slides as a PDF (26 MB).
Landowners' Rights Regarding Oil & Gas Leases
NYS Assistant Attorney General, Mike Danaher, provides information on the responsibilities and rights of people signing gas leases. The lively session is sprinkled with questions from the audience.Video of the public information session (295 MB). Held February 17, 2010 at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. See also the Attorney General's agreement surrounding Fortuna's misleading gas leasing practices.
The [Natural Gas Drilling] Landman Report Card
MIT, in association with others, has an interactive website where individuals can issue a report card on their experience with landmen (NOTE: read reports with a critical eye). The site also offers a "crash course" on what to do when there is a landman at your door that overlaps with the points made by the Assistant Attorney General.
Natural Gas and Un-natural Consequences: the Health Risks of Shale Gas Drilling
The event focused on the chemicals used in hydrofracking and their potential impact on human health, followed by a question-answer period.Originally held Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3), Dryden, NY. View the full video and read a longer program description.
PDF versions of the Slides
- Natural Gas Extraction from New York’s Shales: how it’s done and why it’s done that way (PDF 3.6 MB) by Ron Bishop, lecturer in Chemistry at SUNY Oneonta
- The Health Effects and Other Hazards of Hydrofracking (PDF 879 kb) by Thomas Shelly, chemical safety & hazardous materials specialist. References (PDF 35kb)
- Health Risks of Shale Gas Drilling: Endocrine Disruption (PDF 2.7 MB) by Dr. Adam Law, Endocrinologist
- Introduction by Dr. William Klepack, Medical Director, Tompkins County Health Dept.
Legal Issues for Landowners (with or without a lease),
Topics in Part 1 include Gas Leases and Real Property Law by Randy Marcus, Esq.; Regulatory Issues and Pipelines by Helen Slottje, Esq.; Compulsory Integration, Landman Tactics & Tips by Jane Welsh, Esq. and Landowner Issues & Coalitions by Guy Krogh, Esq. Part 2 is the question and answer session that followed the presentations. Originally held October 29, 2009 at the Cornell Vet School Auditorium.Panel Presentation (167MB, 1 hour 43 minutes).Questions & Answers (146MB, 1 hour 16 minutes).
