What Makes a Good Gas Field

"There are certain geologic parameters that determine the economic qualities of gas shale," said Engelder, a professor at Penn State University. "In New York state, the combination of these parameters is optimal under Broome, Tioga and Chemung counties."

Those geologic qualities include the depth, thickness, core pressure and organic richness of the portion of the Marcellus that lies about 3,000 to 5,000 feet below the surface.

In 2008, Engelder and Lash, a professor at the State University College at Fredonia, released a study estimating 50 trillion cubic feet of gas is recoverable from the Marcellus, which stretches from New York to Tennessee.

Since then, drilling activity has boomed — most notably in Pennsylvania — alongside a heated debate over whether the horizontal, high-volume hydraulic fracturing technique used to extract the gas is harmful to the environment.

Permitting for high-volume hydrofracking has been on hold in New York since 2008. But state Department of Environmental Conservation officials last month indicated that permits could be issued as soon as early next year.

It is the opinion of Engelder and Lash that when the first Marcellus drilling comes to the state, it will likely start in the Binghamton area.

"I think Broome County — especially the southern half of Broome County — holds a lot of promise," Lash said. "The Marcellus is deep and it's quite thick. It borders on Susquehanna County (Pennsylvania), where there's been a lot of success."

However, Engelder said drilling in New York isn't likely to match the Keystone State's productivity.

If they do start drilling in Broome County, that will be most telling. As noted, it is serviced by the Susquehanna, and the Pennsylvania/NY Border is very close to the Great Bend of the Susquehanna. The Susquehanna forms the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay - one of the most fought over/and fiercely protected estuaries in the world. Of course politics is the key to everything/ but from what I recall both Rummy and Chaney had houses near St. Michaels. (If they are gone now, perhaps that it is why they are considering drilling on Susquehanna.)

My point is: If they do start drilling there, it will be very carefully watched and we will be able to learn a lot. Never underestimate the resources and determination of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and the Chesapeake watermen. I would be weilling to bet they are all over this already.