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Nowhere did the promise of fracking Marcellus Shale shine brighter than the banquet hall of the Binghamton Regency in late May 2008.

Spread before farmers on fine china over white linen was a feast of tenderloin tips, roasted vegetables, and chocolate mousse. They ate as they awaited turns at the “signing table.” Dinner was hosted by XTO Energy, the Texas drilling company seeking mineral rights to 50,000 acres in eastern Broome County.

That afternoon, and at two later banquets, XTO paid $110 million to 500 landowners for mineral rights to their land. For some, the single XTO check was more earned than in years of farming.

Gas prices were nearing an all-time high, and XTO was on a quest to tap the northern reaches of the mother of shale gas formations, extending from New York’s Southern Tier through Pennsylvania and parts of Ohio and West Virginia.

To many, these were just the beginnings of the promise coming true.

Click here to read the full story.

The once-bustling offices of Chesapeake Energy, near Sayre, Pennsylvania, are quieter now that drilling has slowed in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_635826872897883594-chesapeake-building.jpg.optimal.jpgThe once-bustling offices of Chesapeake Energy, near Sayre, Pennsylvania, are quieter now that drilling has slowed in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Tom Wilber | Press & Sun-Bulletin

https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_635835416325086168-Graphic-1updateNU490.jpg.optimal.jpgPress & Sun-Bulletin

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https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_635835425300595545-DrillersPayLess.jpg.optimal.jpgPress & Sun-Bulletin

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Former Broome County Executive Barbara Fiala once championed fracking in the New York’s Southern Tier, but has since changed her mind.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_635835473532824934-BGMBrd-10-25-2015-Daily-1-A001-2015-10-24-IMG-20151020-3-1-1-OTCAOE8O-L697062822-IMG-20151020-3-1-1-OTCAOE8O.jpg.optimal.jpgFormer Broome County Executive Barbara Fiala once championed fracking in the New York’s Southern Tier, but has since changed her mind. Andrew Thayer | Press & Sun-Bulletin

Walter Brooks, a farmer in Springville, Pennsylvania, owns 212 acres and has six wells on his family property. Income from the best-producing wells have fallen from several thousand dollars a month to less than $800. As production and prices fall, so do the royalty checks. But “post-production costs,” a share of which are charged to landowners, do not.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Unknown-1.jpeg.optimal.jpegWalter Brooks, a farmer in Springville, Pennsylvania, owns 212 acres and has six wells on his family property. Income from the best-producing wells have fallen from several thousand dollars a month to less than $800. As production and prices fall, so do the royalty checks. But “post-production costs,” a share of which are charged to landowners, do not. Tom Wilber | Press & Sun-Bulletin

https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Unknown-2.jpeg.optimal.jpegTom Wilber | Press & Sun-Bulletin

Walter Brooks, a farmer in Springville, Pennsylvania, discusses status of wells on his property with Cabot Oil & Gas Co. employee Matthew Faux, a Montrose High School graduate who earned a job as well keeper. Brooks gets along with the gas company that operates on his land — sometimes.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Unknown.jpeg.optimal.jpegWalter Brooks, a farmer in Springville, Pennsylvania, discusses status of wells on his property with Cabot Oil & Gas Co. employee Matthew Faux, a Montrose High School graduate who earned a job as well keeper. Brooks gets along with the gas company that operates on his land — sometimes. Tom Wilber | Press & Sun-Bulletin

By Tom Wilber

Press & Sun-Bulletin

EDITOR’S NOTE

The Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton, New York, recently published a three-day special report into Pennsylvania’s fracking industry. Its reporting revealed:

  • Pennsylvania Labor Department inflated figures to make shale gas industry job outlook stronger than it is.
  • Industry is generating millions of dollars in “impact fees” to small-town economies to buy goodwill near drilling sites in lieu of a more costly state tax.
  • Fracking has brought both a rise in crime and influx of money to help rural poverty and public safety.

Its three-day series is being republished in the Times Leader Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with permission from the Press & Sun-Bulletin.