Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

HARRISBURG -- The Department of Agriculture announced today that it has quarantined cattle from a Tioga County farm after a number of cows came into contact with drilling wastewater from a nearby natural gas operation. Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said uncertainty over the quantity of wastewater the cattle may have consumed warranted the quarantine in order to protect the public from eating potentially contaminated beef. “Cattle are drawn to the taste of salty water,” said Redding. “Drilling wastewater has high salinity levels, but it also contains dangerous chemicals and metals. We took this precaution in order to protect the public from consuming any of this potentially contaminated product should it be marketed for human consumption.” Redding said 28 head of cattle were included in the quarantine, including 16 cows, four heifers and eight calves. Those cattle were out to pasture in late April and early May when a drilling wastewater holding pond on the farm of Don and Caro...

A tank truck carrying water being used for well site operations crashed at the intersection of Route 49 and Peet Brook Road in Potter County Thursday morning. In a fax sent to WESB and The HERO, State police say Timothy Hewitt was driving a tank truck for East Resources at 11:20 a.m. when it tipped onto its side while turning from Route 49 onto Peet Brook. Police say a combination of the truck’s speed and the load shifting caused it to tip. The Coudersport Volunteer Fire Department and a crew from East Resources cleaned up at the scene. Police are continuing their investigation.

A Pittsburgh-area energy producer, and major player in the Marcellus Shale region, is selling the company for $4.7 billion Europe’s largest oil company. East Resources Inc. will be sold for cash and subsequently hand over about 650,000 net acres of Marcellus Shale land to Royal Dutch Shell PLC. About 1.05 million acres in total will change hands. East Resources employs about 300 people, who will continue working for the company. Shell executives say they plan to expand the regional East Resources offices with more workers. East Resources produces the natural-gas equivalent of nearly 10,000 barrels of oil per day. The cash will go to East Resources and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., a private equity investor helping East Resources fund its Marcellus exploration. http://www.eastresources.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=9&cntnt01origid=71&cntnt01returnid=112

East Resources has signed an agreement with Penn State's Cooperative Extension Service to create a new 4-H endowment fund for Tioga County. East created the endowment with an initial principal investment of $50,000. The fund will be used to supplement financial support for the Tioga County 4-H program and may include education awards for 4-H members. "East Resources has a major stake in Tioga County's future through its oil and gas interests, and our contribution to this endowment reflects East's commitment to help sustain that future," says Bob Long, the company's executive vice president. "Tioga County's young men and women are the key to the long-term health of our communities, and we appreciate the significant role that the county 4-H program play in helping them grown into productive, self-directed citizens." Dennis Calvin, interim director of Penn State Cooperative Extension, says the endowment will help assure that generations of youth hav...