Rachael Bunzey
Natural Gas NOW

Shale gas development is more than simply drilling gas wells, hydraulically fracturing them or any of the other things required to get the gas to market.

The natural gas industry gives back to the communities in which it operates in several big ways. There are lease payments, royalties, jobs, business opportunities, road upgrades, impact fees and taxes. Those are all part of the cost of doing business, but there is still more. Gas companies all over Pennsylvania are exercising their responsibilities as members of the community in supporting important projects. Chief Oil & Gas and Southwestern Energy are offering two good examples of such generosity are making a difference.

Shale Gas Development Generates Hundreds of Millions in Impact Fees and Donations

According to the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC), “With a total of 6,489 unconventional wells under development or in production as of December 31, 2013, shale producers contributed a total of $224.5 million in impact fees for the calendar year. This brings total impact fee revenue to more than $630 million over the past three years, in addition to the more than $2.1 billion in state tax revenue generated by the industry since 2008.”

The MSC says over 60% of the money has been distributed to counties and municipalities where natural gas development is taking place. The money is “invested in bridge and road projects, the purchase of new firefighting equipment, key environmental programs, [and] other major community priorities.”

Given the magnitude of these fees, one could argue the companies aren’t obligated to give a penny to anything else, but that isn’t the way it works.  Two good examples of shale gas development companies that do much more for the communities where they operate are Chief Oil & Gas and Southwestern Energy, although they are by no means the only companies doing so.

Chief Oil & Gas primarily focuses on donating to public safety groups, environmental programs and education. It also makes a point of donating to several conservation groups and sportsmen’s organizations, according to an article in Marcellus Business Central. “One of the outreach programs we worked with this year was called Hunters Sharing the Harvest, which is a charitable venison program for hunters who donate their venison through a statewide group of participating butchers.” said Daria Fish, Chief’s Director of Public Affairs pictured below presenting a check to a local United Way group.

Hunters Sharing the Harvest donates venison through a statewide group of butchers.  The hunters donate their meat, local companies or individuals pay the butchers to process it, and then the meat is given to organizations like the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. Once the meat is given to the food banks, they distribute it to more than 4,000 other local food assistance organizations.  Some of these organizations are missions, homeless shelters, food pantries, Salvation Army facilities and churches. Southwestern Energy, Anadarko Energy, Range Resources, Cabot Oil & Gas and the Marcellus Shale Coalition also support the program.

Shale Gas Development Is Addressing Emergency Needs of Communities

Southwestern Energy also donated $10,000 to area fire departments earlier in April to thank their members for all they do for their communities.  Southwestern operating areas included the Wysox fire department, Herrick Township fire department, Wyalusing Valley fire department and the Bradford County emergency management agency.   Each of these was given a grant from Southwestern in the amount of $2,500 to support their good work. A spokesman for Southwestern, David Sweeley, said this about the importance of these volunteer fire departments:

“Our volunteer fire departments and other emergency response agencies protect the things we cherish most in life. SWN’s Everyday Heroes initiative provides us an opportunity to build and enhance a relationship with these vital agencies, and provide them with grants that they can use to purchase much needed equipment.”

Southwestern also created a program called the Everyday Heroes Initiative and has given out over $600,000 to emergency responders since 2008 when the program was started.

The companies are given the grants to use as they please.  Many of the companies are using the grant money to buy new equipment or update their existing equipment.  Yes, that means safer communities for all our families with the help of the natural gas industry.

SWN checks being received by Adam Dietz, Wyalusing Volunteer Fire Department fire chief; Brett Keeney, Wysox Volunteer Fire Department fire chief; and Ivan Decker, Herrick Volunteer Fire Department president.

These companies, along with many others, are making huge positive differences wherever they operate, in sharp contrast to the images fractivists often present. Doug McLinko, Chairman of the Bradford County, Pennsylvania, Board of Commissioners noted this the other day in one of his many talks in support of the natural gas industry. He gave examples of two recent visitors to his county who told him, on leaving, “This is nothing like what we were told.” How true. Gas companies are community assets and they are making the communities in which they operate stronger by the day.

We have heard, in fact, over and over again, how difficult it is to maintain volunteer emergency services but gas companies are now making it possible to so by supporting those services, helping to build hospitals, supporting community colleges and a host of other contributions.

This makes me wonder; what are our fractivists friends doing in the way of supporting these volunteer community services or feeding the hungry? I can’t recall seeing the names of any of them on the rosters of local volunteer emergency services, for example. I suppose a few do here and there but do their numbers come anywhere close to what our gas companies are doing? Are they making a difference? Not so much.

Still, it’s not the negatives that are important, but the positives. Shale gas development is improving the quality of life in rural America by not only delivering less expensive energy, cleaning the air and creating economic opportunities, but also by exercising social responsibility and giving critical institutions threatened by population declines whole new leases on life. It’s happening and it’s for real. That’s worth celebrating.