Why would anyone wish to drill for gas in Bucks?
There is a moratorium on drilling until 2018 in our area. Until it ends there won’t be any drilling in Bucks County we are told. But two years ago in June 2013, “the U.S. Geological Survey released a report estimating the South Newark Basin could yield between 363 billion cubic feet and 1,698 billion cubic feet of natural gas,” according to writing for NPR. That’s the prize and the answer to the question.
Screenshot from the U.S. Geological Survey The South Newark Basin stretches from New Jersey down into Bucks and Montgomery Counties. (NPR)
Shortly after thatUSGS Report the State of Pennsylvania funded a study of gas drilling in Bucks and Montgomery Counties. The contract was slated to end on June 30, 2015, so the results will be known well before the moratorium ends. The savvy executives of energy companies are certainly not sleeping, and are very aware of the opportunity.
Bucks County is close to markets and transportation for the gas and it has existing pipelines, albeit rather old ones, in the area. If you make your money extracting gas, what’s not to like?
Well there is the local reaction to think of. Zoning could get sticky. But if you make all the right moves you can avoid the pitch forks and barrel staves.
That study mentioned above that was supposed to verify if a gas play would be worthwhile in the Delaware Valley? I’m told it was never funded by the legislature.