READ: Marcellus Shale Lease Guide

Property owners (landowners or mineral owners) who choose to lease their land for Marcellus Shale gas production can minimize adverse impacts from gas operations by negotiating environmentally protective provisions in the lease they sign. Pennsylvania has laws and regulations that apply to Marcellus Shale gas development; but these laws and regulations are best viewed as a floor, not a ceiling, for protecting environment values. The property owner who wishes to require a higher level of environmental protection for gas operations on their property should seek to negotiate heightened protection into the terms of the lease itself.

PEC's Marcellus Shale Lease Guide is intended as a resource for Pennsylvania residents who are considering leasing their property for Marcellus Shale gas production, or who have decided to lease and are beginning the negotiating process. It identifies some of the key environmental issues that can be addressed in a lease; summarizes the types of approaches that have been used to address these issues in Marcellus Shale gas leases in Pennsylvania; and offers options for handling these issues in a more protective Marcellus Shale gas lease, using best management practices enployed in oil and gas leasing in Pennsylvania and nationwide.