Special Notice to the residents of South Williamsport and Armstrong Township

Carole Livorno, an RDA member from South Williamsport, requests that
everyone in South Williamsport and Armstrong Township go to a Zoning Board
meeting at South High School, Monday, March 28, 7:00 PM.  Carole founded
Concerned Citizens of Armstrong Township and South Williamsport to organize
against a developer’s plans for a water withdrawal and/or service center in
Sylvan Dell for the natural gas industry. It is anticipated that this would
bring major truck traffic 24-hours a day through South Williamsport.  Easy
and relaxing driving through town will not be so easy anymore.  There will
be safety issues, nuisance issues, and air-quality issues.  Thousands will
be inconvenienced for one man’s profit.  No thanks!  Please pass this
information along to your friends!

[image: No Water Withdrawal]

*To Lease … or Not to Lease** *
*How do you decide?***

The Fair Leasing Subcommittee of the RDA has introduced guidelines for
people who are leasing, planning to lease, or considering re-leasing.  The
information was produced after meeting with several lawyers who have
experience drafting, reviewing, or challenging leases.

Disclaimer: This page is provided for information only and should not be
construed as legal advice. Please consult a lawyer before signing any gas
lease or other binding legal document.

*A lease is forever, like a diamond.* A gas lease is a deed that is filed at
the County Courthouse; it is a restriction on your title to your land. Once
you sign, control over your land will in many ways be out of your hands.
That is because a gas company may be able to extend its lease merely by
“conducting operations” - which does not necessarily mean drilling a well or
producing gas on which you will receive royalties. Depending on the terms of
the lease, you may not be able to terminate the lease if the gas company
wants to hold it and wait.

In lawyer-speak, a gas “lease” is not really a lease at all. Technically, it
is a fee simple determinable transfer—a transfer of title with an automatic
condition attached, since the lease typically continues indefinitely
provided certain conditions are met.

To review all guidelines on leasing, go to the RDA website,
http://responsibledrillingalliance.org

*Water Well Contamination in Bradford County***

Renee Taylor of The *Morning Times* reported that three families living on
Paradise Road in Terry Township have filed lawsuits against Chesapeake
Energy.  All three families have contaminated water wells.  DEP tests have
confirmed their wells were contaminated with methane gas. Further DEP
testing traced the methane to drilling conducted by Chesapeake Energy.

The families have spent the last nine months using temporary water tanks
containing heavily chlorinated water.  The water is so laden with chlorine
that they cannot use it to bathe because it causes rashes.  They now live
with constant concern for the health of their families.  Property values
have decreased by as much as $300,000.

The families believe Chesapeake Energy has provided an inadequate response
and is denying fault for the contamination.

(To read the article by Renee Taylor, *The Morning Times*, click
here<http://pubcomm.blogspot.com/>
)

*Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission Holds Its First Meeting***

Commission members agree upon the need to find science-based solutions to
environmental concerns.  However, business and industry representatives
outnumber environmental groups on this commission by over three to one.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s LeeAnn Murray, staff attorney and commission
member, detailed a list of specific environmental concerns and emphasized
the need to evaluate cumulative impacts.

The citizens of Pennsylvania need this industry-leaning commission to seek
and evaluate input from independent scientific research, environmental
science, and the public.  Assistant Lieutenant Governor Cawley, said it’s
about the information the commission gets.  This raises the importance of
the sources of input and information to the commission.  Will this
information be presented by industry representatives or independent
scientific research bodies?

(To read the article by Donald Gilliland, *The Patriot-News*, click
here<http://mobile.pennlive.com/advpenn/db_/contentdetail.htm;jsessionid=D...>
)