United we stand, divided we’re going to fall.
That was the point the Four Partners’ Steering Committee on natural gas made again and again to an audience of about 90 people in SUNY Cobleskill’s Bouck Hall auditorium Wednesday.
The session was a chance for landowners to hear again from Jeff Decker’s Coalition Connection, a Broome County-based group that’s been working to negotiate more favorable gas exploration deals for its members since January.
The group is offering its services locally; any fees would be taken off the top if and when they’re successful in marketing a package lease.
There’s a lot of “garbage” in the leases the gas companies are offering, said Vince Stalis, who markets leases for Coalition Connection.
“But you do want to sign a lease,” he said. “They’re not going to drill without one.”
Interest in natural gas has been exploding, both as a result of higher fuel costs and because of advances in drilling technology that makes gas, found in shale, more accessible.
Landmen looking to make deals first showed up here in May; since then, said Steering Committee member David Huse, nine landowners with a total of 2,200 acres have signed.
Though they’ve focused mostly on owners of more than 100 acres, those with less land are also welcome to get involved in coalition efforts.
“We’re here as landowners,” said Earl Van Wormer, Esperance supervisor and another member of the Steering Committee, people who volunteered for the job after a meeting in June.
“Where people have gotten together…they’re gotten better deals than people who’ve stood alone…I want to get the best deal I can.”
One of the advantages of negotiating as a group, Mr. Decker said, is that it takes the pressure off individual landowners when it comes to negotiating with landmen.
Among the services his group offers: Support, website maintenance, a membership data base, generating forms, legal counsel, and writing and negotiating lease proposals.
Jim Ward, Coalition Connection’s attorney, said it’s always better to have a lease written with the landowner in mind than one provided by a gas company.
Gas company leases don’t deal with things like noise, pollution, wildlife, and soil reclamation, he said; in fact, they often don’t even specify things like when royalties will be paid.
With a good lease, Mr. ward said, landowners can make gas companies responsible for monitoring water quality.
They can demand shorter leases and larger setbacks. They can control where on their property the drilling is done.
But only if they know what to ask for.
Not everyone in the audience was convinced.
Some argued against signing on with the first organization—Coalition Connection—to approach landowners here.
Others said any drilling could impact local water supplies and quality and disrupt area’s natural peace and quiet.
“No one was taking the ball,” said Mr. Decker, explaining why he re-mortgaged his farm to create the coalition and took a leave of absence from his job.
“We’re all landowners. We don’t like the leases these companies are putting out there.”
Mr. Van Wormer pointed out no one has to join a coalition of landowners.
“We hope you join us, but you don’t have to,” he said. “We invited these people up to see what services they could provide. We haven’t asked them to do one thing for is.”
Mr. Huse said after Wednesday’s meeting that he’s still hoping more people will come forward to help with the Steering Committee.
“It’s not like we had a long line of people volunteering,” he said. “We welcome all the help we can get.”