Today more than 2,000 natural gas drilling wells dot the Keystone State, while millions of gallons of water are pumped into the earth in an effort to fracture natural gas from deep rock formations. The Penn State Environmental Law Review invites the public to a free interdisciplinary event that will examine the legal and environmental aspects of Marcellus Shale drilling in the Northeast at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, in the Greg Sutliff Auditorium of the Lewis Katz Building on Penn State's University Park campus.
“The policy decisions we make right now on Marcellus Shale drilling will affect future generations in so many ways. For example, is reducing our dependence on foreign fossil fuels worth the risk to our region’s water supply? Can the risks and benefits be evaluated on a solely economic basis?” said Christine Arena ’11, symposium editor of the "Penn State Environmental Law Review." “We look forward to examining these policy choices in detail with researchers, attorneys, and advocates on all sides.” Panelists will address a host of environmental and regulatory concerns stemming from hydro-fracturing Marcellus Shale production.
Panelists include Patrick C. McGinley of the West Virginia University College of Law and founder of the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation; oil and gas law expert Professor David E. Pierce of Washburn University, John J. Walliser, vice president of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council; John Baillie, senior attorney at PennFuture; Nicolle R. Snyder Bagnell, partner at Reed Smith who focuses on litigation and regulatory issues on Marcellus Shale in Appalachia; and R. Timothy Weston, partner at K&L Gates who focuses on environmental counseling and litigation, energy development, and Marcellus Shale issues.
The first panel begins at 10 a.m. in the Greg Sutliff Auditorium of the Lewis Katz Building on Penn State’s University Park campus and will be simulcast to the auditorium of Lewis Katz Hall, 333 W. South Street, Carlisle, Pa. The event is free, but registration is required to attend in person. The event will be webcast live over the Internet. For more information, visit www.law.psu.edu.
This program has been approved by the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board for four hours of substantive law, practice and procedure CLE credit for both the live program at University Park and the video-conferenced program in Carlisle. No CLE credit is available for the webcast.
Founded and edited by Penn State Law students, the "Penn State Environmental Law Review" is a forum for articles discussing all aspects of environmental issues, a rapidly growing and evolving legal discipline.