PA to Force Companies to Expose More Gas Data

In a follow-up to a previous story, the Pennsylvania Senate passed a bill that will ensure gas companies drilling the Marcellus Shale will disclose data publicly. The aim of this is to use production results, and encourage other companies to ponder the Marcellus (link).

A bill that would require faster disclosure about production results from wells drilled on the potentially lucrative Marcellus Shale gas formation in Pennsylvania is on the move.

The state Senate on Monday passed the bill unanimously and sent it to the House of
Representatives for consideration.

Under the bill, companies would have to report well-specific production to the state twice a year. Those reports would then be made public.

Current law prevents the state from releasing that data for five years, putting Pennsylvania out of step with the nation's biggest gas-producing states.

Advocates of the bill say revealing the information sooner will assure people that the industry is above-board and encourage other drilling companies to invest in Pennsylvania.

- Brewskie

PA May Force Companies to Reveal Gas Shale Drilling Secrets

Drilling for shale gas let America rip dimethyl sulfide last year, fouling gas' previously high price. Why not let more boys into the party? Pennsylvania is considering just that.

Fresh from Forbes:

Three decades ago, environmentalists and public officials rang the alarm when the price of fossil fuels shot up and drilling companies descended on western
Pennsylvania's oil and gas fields in search of paydirt.

The state Legislature responded with the 1984 Oil and Gas Act, which forced the companies to comply with strict new environmental standards - but also handed them a cushion that allowed them to keep secret most information about their below-ground discoveries for five years.

Now, with a fresh wave of exploration companies flocking to Pennsylvania in pursuit of natural gas in the sprawling Marcellus Shale rock formation, state legislators are considering peeling back that cloak of secrecy.

One proposal backed by several key senators would require disclosure of well-specific production data every six months in an effort to stimulate interest in drilling and bring Pennsylvania into line with major gas states.

- Brewskie