UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — While Pennsylvania shale gas permits hit an eight-year low in 2016, issues relating to leasing, operations, air quality and royalties have been in the news, and numerous legislative bills and regulatory changes have been proposed to respond to these issues. A web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension will provide a current legislative and regulatory update pertaining to shale energy.
The webinar, presented from 1 to 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 15, will feature Ross Pifer, clinical professor of law and director of the Center for Agricultural and Shale Law at Penn State Law.
As it has in past years, the Pennsylvania General Assembly is actively considering a number of legislative issues related to shale development, according to Pifer. “Shale development and broader energy policy have been hot topics at both the state and national level recently,” he said. “In this webinar, I will review legislation that was enacted by the General Assembly in the last legislative session as well as bills that are under current consideration."
Pifer noted that he also plans to review regulatory proposals from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and discuss changes at the national level during the initial months of the Trump administration.
The webinar is free, but registration is necessary. To register, visit the Penn State Extension Natural Gas Events webpage. More information is available by contacting Carol Loveland at 570-320-4429 or at cal24@psu.edu.
Penn State Extension's Marcellus Education Team provides monthly webinars on a variety of topics. Upcoming webinars include:
-- July 20: "Assessment of Atmospheric Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Production along the Northeastern Marcellus Shale," presented by Zachary Barkley, Penn State research assistant in the Department of Meteorology, and Thomas Lauvaux, senior research associate and associate professor of meteorology at Penn State.
-- Aug. 17: "Shale Gas Pipelines Drive Habitat Conversion and Fragmentation in Pennsylvania Forests," presented by Lillie Langlois, doctoral candidate in Penn State's Department of Ecosystem Science and Management.
-- Sept. 21: "Gas, Cracker, Polymers, Pellets — Ethane’s Journey to Plastics," presented by Jason Williams, engineering research and industry interaction coordinator and senior lecturer in engineering at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, and Dan Brockett, Penn State Extension educator.
Previous webinars, publications and information also are available on the Penn State Extension natural-gas website, covering a variety of topics such as liquid natural gas, seismic testing, methane emissions; water use and quality; Marcellus and Utica basins; natural gas reserves; gas-leasing considerations for landowners; legal issues surrounding gas development; and the impact of Marcellus gas development on forestland.