October 21 meeting set on DRBC drilling regulations

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) announced it has scheduled a special meeting on October 21 to consider regulations covering Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling operations in the Delaware River Watershed. The DRBC has received more than 69,000 comments on the draft regulations and held six public hearings to collect comments. The meeting will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial in Trenton, N.J. The meeting will not include a public hearing. Visit www.state.nj.us/drbc/newsrel_naturalgas090611.htm for more information.

Cabot loses rights and money in local legal matchup

The New York Law Journal reports that Supreme Court Justice James P. Gilpatric, sitting in Sullivan County, has barred Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. from “exploring, drilling, producing and marketing oil, and natural gas and other hydrocarbons” under the residential subdivision, Weiden Lake Community, in the Town of Tusten, NY. The judge also barred Cabot from recovering the $99,255 signing bonus it paid to Jeff A. Klansky for the rights to explore and drill under his property. Justice Gilpatric also said the company should have known that a restrictive covenant would preclude the agreement it reached with the property owner. “[T]he evidence clearly demonstrates that Cabot, a sophisticated business entity, made a calculated and knowing decision to enter into the lease, approve title and pay the signing bonus with full knowledge” of the protective covenant and the opposition of the property owners’ association, Gilpatric held in Weiden Lake Property Owners Association Inc. v. Klansky and Cabot Oil, 3885/09. “Therefore, it is not entitled to rescission of the lease under a mistake of law.” See www.law.com/jsp/nylj/PubArticleFriendlyNY.jsp?id=1202512312404&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1 for more information.

PSU webinar series focuses on business opportunities in Marcellus Shale

A new series of web-based seminars aimed at helping local businesses prosper from natural gas drilling and development, presented by Penn State Extension’s Marcellus Educational Consortium, will be offered this fall. “Your Business and Marcellus Shale: Moving Forward 2011” is a five-part program. “Participants will expand their knowledge of the opportunities that exist in the market as well as how to make connections and plan for doing business in this growing industry,” said Jonathan Laughner, extension educator in Beaver County who is moderating the every two-weeks sessions. Speakers will include natural-gas industry representatives, local business people responding to opportunities, financial specialists and business-development representatives.

Each session will last approximately 75 minutes, from 9 to 10:15 a.m. The webinar schedule is: September 13, “Local Business View: Experience in the Northeast;” September 26, “Industry View: What Does Industry Look For?”; October 11, “Local Business View: Experience in the Southwest”; October 24, “The Process: How Do You Sell Into Industry?”; November 8, “The Work Plan: Financial and Planning Suggestions.” For more information, contact Carol Loveland at 570/433-3040 or send email to cal24@psu.edu.