Baker voices opposition to ‘forced pooling’

State Senator Lisa Baker will vigorously oppose efforts by the natural gas industry to gain the power referred to as “forced pooling.”

Industry representatives have identified pooling as a primary objective they are seeking to achieve during the debate over a severance tax.

Across the Marcellus Shale portions of Pennsylvania, there is a lot of acreage potentially available for deep well drilling. Certain sites may be more attractive to drillers, but no single site is essential.

According to Baker, people should not be forced by state law to accept drilling beneath their property if they do not want it. Such a requirement is not right, Baker says, is not necessary and is not acceptable.

“There are a variety of good reasons why an individual or a family would choose not to sign a lease and we should respect those decisions,” Baker said. “The economic interests of gas drilling do not override the fundamental rights of property owners. There is no public purpose that could justify taking people’s property rights.”

Baker feels that, under a system of forced pooling, only the gas companies win. She further states that there is a misconception that this change in law would adversely affect just the property owners who do not want to lease their lands. By giving the companies the ability to compel some instead of having to negotiate with all, Baker says, forced pooling would diminish the value of leases for every property holder.

Baker would prefer that Pennsylvania decide the question of imposing a severance tax on its merits, without trading away people’s rights.

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Marcellus Shale - Gas Wells

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