Webinars
To address the opportunities and challenges of exploring for natural gas in the Marcellus shale in much of Pennsylvania, Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Cooperative Extension offers a series of online seminars running through September, 2009.
The Webinars cover a variety of topics ranging from the local government's role in gas exploration to the effects of deep-well drilling methods on water supplies. The series is targeted at extension educators, federal and state agency representatives, and interested citizens.
Upcoming webinars may be found on the Events page. Previous sessions may be viewed by clicking on the sites below:
- Treatment/Disposal Options for Wastewaters from Shale Gas Drilling
Bryan Swistock, Water Resources Specialist, School of Forest Resources, Penn State University, 10-28-09
PowerPoint for this presentation available as PDF, click here. Slides 6, 10, 11, 15 were updated with new information.
- Community Response Options to Marcellus Shale and Energy Development
Kathy Brasier, Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology, and Walt Whitmer, Extension Associate, Economic and Community Development, Penn State Cooperative Extension, 9-17-09
- Marcellus Shale Workforce Needs Assessment
Tracy Brundage, Managing Director, Workforce Development & Continuing Education, Penn College of Technology; Jim Ladlee, County Extension Director, Penn State Cooperative Extension, Clinton County; Jeff Lorson, Industrial Technology Specialist, Workforce Development & Continuing Education, Penn College of Technology, 8-27-09
The presenters describe a method to assess workforce needs for extracting and developing Marcellus shale gas. The method is applied in 14 counties - the Central and Northern Tier Workforce Investment Board regions - to predict direct workforce demand. The presenters draw implications from their estimates for the capacity of educational institutions in the study area. The method's strengths, limits, and potential for further application within Pennsylvania are discussed.
- Water Resources Policy Issues
Charles Abdalla, Professor of Agricultural and Environmental Economics, Penn State University, 7-23-09.
- Planning for Community Impacts
Neal Fogle, Educator, Economic & Community Development, Penn State Cooperative Extension, Montour County, 6-25-09
- Governments' Roles in Natural Gas Development
Ross Pifer, Director Agricultural Law Resource & Reference Center, Penn State Dickinson School of Law. May 21, 2009 "The content of this webinar was prepared by Ross Pifer. Due to technical difficulties, the voice heard from approximately 18:50 to 39:39 is that of Moderator Charlie Abdalla. During that time, Prof. Abdalla was reading from a script of content that had been prepared by Mr. Pifer. The dead time associated with the technical problems have been edited out of this recorded version."
- The Marcellus Shale: Reason for the Pattern of Well Locations Through April 2009
Dr. Terry Engelder, Dept. of GeoSciences, Penn State University. Due to technical problems, the original presentation of April 16, 2009 was re-recorded on May 6, 2009
- Above the Marcellus Shale - Minimizing Impacts to Forests and Wildlife
Margaret Brittingham, Professor of Wildlife Resources and Extension Wildlife Specialist, 3-18-09
- Water Use and Water Quality Issues
Bryan Swistock, Penn State Water Resources Specialist, 2-19-09
~ Additional questions and answers - Considerations When Negotiating a Lease: Impact of the Current Economical Environment
Tom Murphy, Extension Educator, Agricultural Sciences/Energy
Development 1-22-09
- What Marcellus Shale Exploration Means for Pennsylvania, Local Communities, and Citizens
Dr. Timothy Kelsey, Professor of Agricultural Economics 12-18-08
- Lessons about Social & Economic Impacts of Natural Gas Development from Wyoming
Jeffrey Jacquet, Natural Gas Socioeconomic Impact Analyst, 11-19-08
