Marcellus shale webinar series continues on Dec. 19

Marcellus shale webinar series continues on Dec. 19

University Park, Pa. -- An ongoing series of monthly, Web-based seminars addressing issues surrounding Pennsylvania's Marcellus shale natural-gas boom will continue through the winter.

Sponsored by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Cooperative Extension, upcoming webinars will cover topics such as legal issues, post-leasing considerations for landowners, wastewater disposal options and economic impacts.

The one-hour webinars will be held at 1 p.m. on the following dates:

-- Dec. 19: "Marcellus Shale Legislation and Litigation: A Year in Review." Presenter: Ross Pifer, director of the Agricultural Law Resource and Reference Center, Penn State Dickinson School of Law.

-- Jan. 21, 2010: "Post Leasing -- Considerations of What Happens Next, Lessons Learned to Date." Presenter: Thomas Murphy, Penn State Cooperative Extension energy-development educator.

-- Feb. 18: "Underground Injection Wells as an Option for Disposal of Shale Gas Wastewaters: Policies and Practicality." Presenter: Karen Johnson, chief, Ground Water and Enforcement Branch, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3.

-- March 18: "The Impact of Marcellus Shale: What Do the Economic Impact Studies Imply?" Presenter: Timothy Kelsey, Penn State Cooperative Extension state program leader for economic and community development.

Information about how to register for the free webinars is available at http://naturalgas.extension.psu.edu/Events.htm. Online participants will have the opportunity to ask the speaker questions during the webinar.

Previous webinars -- which covered topics such as water use and quality, gas leasing considerations for landowners, workforce issues and implications for local communities -- can be viewed at http://naturalgas.extension.psu.edu/webinars.htm online.

For more information, contact Joann Kowalski, extension educator in Susquehanna County, at (570) 278-1158 or by e-mail at jmk20@psu.edu.