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KEYSER — More than 100 people gathered at the Keyser High School auditorium on a snowy Thursday night for “Marcellus Shale 101,” a program that introduced area residents to the natural gas formation and offered tips for landowers thinking about leasing their property for drilling.
Sponsored jointly by the Mineral County Commissioners, the Mineral County Planning Commission and the Mineral County Development Authority, the program was conducted by Tom Murphy, an extension educator with the Penn State Cooperative Extension Service.
Murphy began the program by outlining the geology behind the energy phenomenon.
The Marcellus Shale is a geological formation running from the southern border of New York through portions of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West
Virginia and Ohio. It is considered to have one of the largest deposits of natural gas in the country.
While dozens of shale natural gas “plays” dot the nation, the Marcellus is the largest in the U.S. and the second largest in the world.
More than just its size, though, the Marcellus is coveted for its proximity to the Northeast U.S., which has the most developed natural gas infrastructure in the country. With Marcellus deposits located relatively close to that market, and the network of pipelines that carry natural gas from as far away as Mexico, the proximity to the Northeast reduces transportation expenses and boosts profits.
“You're looking a huge resource that is close to the market site,” Murphy said.
How huge? Experts estimate that the Marcellus holds 489 trillion cubic feet of gas that can be accessed with current technology. However, some believe that figure is just 10 percent of the total amount of gas trapped in the shale.
The U.S. uses an average of 20 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year. Even with estimates boosting that total to 32 trillion in 20 years, the Marcellus promises to be a resource that is tapped for many years to come. Most estimates have the field producing for 30 to 50 years. Some go as high as 100 years.
“This is a multi-generational impact,” Murphy said. “It's not just a blip on the radar. It's going to play out over a long time.”
Spurring development of Marcellus gas is the nation's need to develop native energy sources as oil deposits decline and the price of foreign oil continues to escalate, with economic and national security implications.
Juxtaposing a photo of a gas drilling rig against wind turbines, Murphy described natural gas as a “bridge fuel” that experts hope can carry the nation from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
Also spurring development of Marcellus deposits is technology that makes drilling more effective. Murphy's presentation included a video that depicted the drilling process, which typically uses 87 tons of pipe sections in a complex process that employs horizontal drilling far beneath the surface.
The video also demonstrated how high pressure, chemically treated water is forced into the shale deposits through a process known as “hydrofracing,” which cracks the rock formation and allows the gas to enter the well.
Among those hoping to join the Marcellus gold rush is the city of Keyser, which is seeking state permission to treat the water byproduct at its wastewater treatment plant, as the water cannot be returned to the environment without being treated for removal of industrial contaminants.
Detailing the typical development of a natural gas field, which usually occurs on farms or other open land, Murphy noted several points for landowners to consider as they weigh leasing proposals. One, he said, is noise.
A compressor station will run year-round at a well site “24/7/365,” he said. Requiring the gas company to enclose the station in a building essentially eliminates the noise.
“Sound is one impact I think a lot of people overlook,” he said.
He also said property owners need to be aware of the pipelines that will be buried to convey the gas to the supply network. He cautioned against running the lines through the middle of a parcel, saying it could inhibit future development of the property. Instead, lines should follow the edges of the property, or existing right of ways like roads or power lines.
“I think pipelines are one of the bigger impacts out there,” he said. “Once that's in place, it's likely to be in the ground for 100 years or so.”
Murphy also noted the impact on roads, with heavy truck traffic taxing rural roads that are barely wide enough for two cars. Marcellus drilling also carries environmental impacts, including effects on ground and surface water, streams and view-sheds.
County Commissioner Wayne Spiggle noted such impacts in introducing Murphy Thursday night, specifically mentioning the effect on water. “This is a process that needs to be a thoughtful one in our community and the entire region,” he said.
Still, Spiggle also noted the economic development potential that Murphy outlined in his presentation.
“This is something I think we're going to be hearing about in Mineral County quite a lot,” Spiggle said. said. “It's a tremendous opportunity for the entire region.”
For more information on Penn State Extension Services Marcellus gas formation, visit www,naturalgas.extension.psu.edu.
KEYSER — More than 100 people gathered at the Keyser High School auditorium on a snowy Thursday night for “Marcellus Shale 101,” a program that introduced area residents to the natural gas formation and offered tips for landowers thinking about leasing their property for drilling.
Sponsored jointly by the Mineral County Commissioners, the Mineral County Planning Commission and the Mineral County Development Authority, the program was conducted by Tom Murphy, an extension educator with the Penn State Cooperative Extension Service.
Murphy began the program by outlining the geology behind the energy phenomenon.
The Marcellus Shale is a geological formation running from the southern border of New York through portions of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West
Virginia and Ohio. It is considered to have one of the largest deposits of natural gas in the country.
While dozens of shale natural gas “plays” dot the nation, the Marcellus is the largest in the U.S. and the second largest in the world.
More than just its size, though, the Marcellus is coveted for its proximity to the Northeast U.S., which has the most developed natural gas infrastructure in the country. With Marcellus deposits located relatively close to that market, and the network of pipelines that carry natural gas from as far away as Mexico, the proximity to the Northeast reduces transportation expenses and boosts profits.
“You're looking a huge resource that is close to the market site,” Murphy said.
How huge? Experts estimate that the Marcellus holds 489 trillion cubic feet of gas that can be accessed with current technology. However, some believe that figure is just 10 percent of the total amount of gas trapped in the shale.
The U.S. uses an average of 20 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year. Even with estimates boosting that total to 32 trillion in 20 years, the Marcellus promises to be a resource that is tapped for many years to come. Most estimates have the field producing for 30 to 50 years. Some go as high as 100 years.
“This is a multi-generational impact,” Murphy said. “It's not just a blip on the radar. It's going to play out over a long time.”
Spurring development of Marcellus gas is the nation's need to develop native energy sources as oil deposits decline and the price of foreign oil continues to escalate, with economic and national security implications.
Juxtaposing a photo of a gas drilling rig against wind turbines, Murphy described natural gas as a “bridge fuel” that experts hope can carry the nation from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
Also spurring development of Marcellus deposits is technology that makes drilling more effective. Murphy's presentation included a video that depicted the drilling process, which typically uses 87 tons of pipe sections in a complex process that employs horizontal drilling far beneath the surface.
The video also demonstrated how high pressure, chemically treated water is forced into the shale deposits through a process known as “hydrofracing,” which cracks the rock formation and allows the gas to enter the well.
Among those hoping to join the Marcellus gold rush is the city of Keyser, which is seeking state permission to treat the water byproduct at its wastewater treatment plant, as the water cannot be returned to the environment without being treated for removal of industrial contaminants.
Detailing the typical development of a natural gas field, which usually occurs on farms or other open land, Murphy noted several points for landowners to consider as they weigh leasing proposals. One, he said, is noise.
A compressor station will run year-round at a well site “24/7/365,” he said. Requiring the gas company to enclose the station in a building essentially eliminates the noise.
“Sound is one impact I think a lot of people overlook,” he said.
He also said property owners need to be aware of the pipelines that will be buried to convey the gas to the supply network. He cautioned against running the lines through the middle of a parcel, saying it could inhibit future development of the property. Instead, lines should follow the edges of the property, or existing right of ways like roads or power lines.
“I think pipelines are one of the bigger impacts out there,” he said. “Once that's in place, it's likely to be in the ground for 100 years or so.”
Murphy also noted the impact on roads, with heavy truck traffic taxing rural roads that are barely wide enough for two cars. Marcellus drilling also carries environmental impacts, including effects on ground and surface water, streams and view-sheds.
County Commissioner Wayne Spiggle noted such impacts in introducing Murphy Thursday night, specifically mentioning the effect on water. “This is a process that needs to be a thoughtful one in our community and the entire region,” he said.
Still, Spiggle also noted the economic development potential that Murphy outlined in his presentation.
“This is something I think we're going to be hearing about in Mineral County quite a lot,” Spiggle said. said. “It's a tremendous opportunity for the entire region.”
For more information on Penn State Extension Services Marcellus gas formation, visit www,naturalgas.extension.psu.edu.
