Marcellus shale update: Pooling & local impacts

Hour 1

Today, Pennsylvania Governor’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley, is expected to publish their recommendations for moving forward with the burgeoning industry. Joining us to report on the Commission’s process, politics and what to expect in the recommendations is SCOTT DETROW, a Harrisburg-based multimedia journalist covering Marcellus Shale issues for a new public radio investigative reporting project called State Impact PA. One of the more contentious issues in the mix is the concept of pooling – some call it “forced pooling,” not the preferred term of the industry – which would allow drillers to extract gas from beneath land of property owners who don’t allow drilling on their land. Joining us to shed light on this thorny topic is ROBERTA WINTERS, Vice President for Issues and Action of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, who led the League’s investigation into pooling. Another hot topic on the Commission’s agenda is whether to support a local-impact fee, which Gov. Corbett has indicated he could support, as opposed to a general tax, which he opposes. But what are those impacts? Joining us to explain the economic and other impacts of Marcellus Shale throughout the state is TIM KELSEY, professor of agricultural economics at Penn State.

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[audio: 072211_100630.mp3]