Marcellus Shale drilling raises many legal issues in Murrysville
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A lot of leasing and legal information about Marcellus Shale was presented to Murrysville residents during another information-gathering session last week.
The general consensus from the experts?
Get a lawyer if drilling representatives contact you about leasing your property.
"Perhaps the most important thing you can do in this process is retain the service of an attorney to help you get through the leasing process," said Murrysville council President Joan Kearns.
Council has hosted informational sessions to educate the community on various aspects of Marcellus Shale drilling. The sessions were scheduled after representatives from Washington County-based Range Resources held a meeting in the spring indicating that there was a high probability that gas-well drilling would take place in Murrysville.
As of June, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, said about 13 of the wells were dug in Westmoreland County and 82 in Washington County. Across the state, Bradford County has the most with 143. As of last month, no Marcellus Shale wells had been drilled in Allegheny County.
Local attorneys Richard Milesky, David Zimmaro and Betsy Male along with Murrysville District Judge Charles Conway talked about residents' leasing rights at the informaiton session. Mr. Milesky and Mr. Zimmaro represented Marcellus Lease Lawyers LLC, a network of Pennsylvania attorneys who have joined together to represent landowners approached by gas companies seeking to drill in the shale beneath their properties. Ms. Shale is an attorney based in Murrysville and a certified public accountant.
"Signing a lease that allows the gas company to come and drill on your land is a big decision," Mr. Milesky said. "It can be a life-altering one in both a positive and negative manner."
First Published July 22, 2010 5:36 am
