Webinar- Penn State Marcellus Shale Webinar Series Continues On January 21, 27

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, unless otherwise noted:

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

--January 27: "Water Testing and Monitoring Strategies Near Gas Drilling Activity" webinar 12 noon and 7 p.m., Bryan Swistock, Penn State University. Strategies to monitor water wells, springs and streams in areas where gas well drilling is occurring. Go to the Penn State Extension's Water Resources webpage for more information.

--February 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 online (scroll down page). 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 online as well.

For more information, visit Penn State's Natural Gas Impacts webpage or contact Joann Kowalski, extension educator in Susquehanna County, at 570- 278-1158 or by sending email to: jmk20@psu.edu.