Another "happy" drilling story

Courtesy of the AP, here's the story of a family whose Pennsylvania property was leased for natural-gas drilling by an energy company for $50 an acre. That turned out to be a ridiculously low amount compared to what other property owners in the area have received.

The matter would never have made the news except that the house wasn't solely owned by the 94-year-old woman who signed the original agreement. The co-owners who were not contacted by the company raised a squawk, and that's how a news story was born.

The low price for the lease was not the only reason the recalcitrant family members were angry. According to the grandson leading the resistance, his father had asked him not to lease the land for gas drilling due to environmental concerns of the sort mentioned by the documentary Gasland. And by "environmental concerns," of course I mean those associated with "fracking." (Search this blog for that term to see what else I've posted on the subject.)

Unfortunately, one family's resistance means little when it comes to a shared resource like natural gas.

The grandchildren could choose to fight Chesapeake in court to keep the drill at bay, spending thousands of dollars on lawyers in a battle they weren't guaranteed to win. Even if they prevailed, it was likely to be an empty victory. Nearly all the neighbors had already signed leases, and the region's gas deposits were sure to be harvested eventually. With or without the Stevens siblings.

The bottom line is that the energy company is going to be able to drill on the property, albeit not at the low price it originally offered.

Another fracking tragedy.