Client Advisory Archive
Steve Saunders to Speak Before Pennsylvania Bar on Natural Gas Pipeline Agreements
Steve Saunders, who was a presenter at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s annual Oil and Gas Law Conference in September, has been asked to speak on natural gas pipeline agreements at another PBI event to be held on January 25 at the PBI Conference Center in Harrisburg. Mr. Saunders’ presentation will be Webcast and Simulcast to sixteen locations across Pennsylvania and will available to hundreds of lawyers seeking to gain knowledge about this developing and complex area of oil and gas law. Read the Course Brochure for more information about the program. The Pennsylvania Bar Institute is the continuing legal education arm of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and according to the PBI, its programs are “taught, and our books are written, by practicing lawyers, judges, and law professors who are widely recognized as the leading experts in their field, and who have proven their abilities as teachers, public speakers, and writers.”
Saunders has also been part of the team of presenters for the Penn State Cooperative Extension’s Marcellus Education Series team which brings information on natural gas issues to the general public throughout the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania, including some of the programs listed below. Information about upcoming Penn State Cooperative Extension educational programs is available at: http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/events/upcoming
Wayne County 9-8-10
Tioga County 9-9-10
Lackawanna County 11-16-10
Sullivan County 12-15-10
Steve Saunders Frequent Media Source for Information on Natural Gas Issues
Steve Saunders was interviewed by the Scranton Times for two separate news stories on developments in the Marcellus Shale gas play. Saunders was asked to comment on the controversial application of Laser Marcellus Gathering LLC (now Laser Northeast LLC) for a certificate of public convenience from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to operate gathering lines to transport natural gas to a federally-regulated interstate transmission line in New York State. The possibility of the use of eminent domain by state or federally certificated companies as an alternative to negotiating for easements for gathering lines is a topic of public concern. Read the full article at https://saunderslawllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/scranton-times-laser-marcellus-510.pdf. Saunders was also asked to comment on a recent ruling in a federal lawsuit Kropa v. Cabot Oil & Gas involving claims of fraud and violation of Pennsylvania’s Minimum Royalty statute in the negotiation of natural gas leases. The article can be found at https://saunderslawllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/scranton-times-kropa-case-610.pdf. Steve is representing clients in litigation involving lease disputes and mineral rights claims in both federal and state courts.
Saunders Recruited for Natural Gas Speaking Engagements and Conference Planning
2010 has been a busy year for Steve Saunders who has been asked by numerous groups to speak on a variety of matters involving natural gas development and oil and gas law. He will be presenting at educational programs in September sponsored by the Penn State Cooperative Extension Service and has spoken before forums assembled by the League of Women Voters and the Countryside Conservancy. In addition, Steve is a member of the Planning Committee for the 2010 Marcellus Summit- Building a Sustainable Future. Now in its third year, this annual event is a three – day program co-sponsored by Penn State University and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission and will be held in State College from October 10-12. For the second year, Saunders will be moderating a panel discussion during the conference, this year focusing on the Regulatory perspective regarding key development issues in the largest unconventional natural gas play in the United States. To learn more about the conference go to http://www.outreach.psu.edu/programs/natural-gas/index.html
PA House Addresses Roll Back Taxes Under Clean And Green
On June 23, the Pennsylvania House passed House Bills 984 and 1394 which propose to amend the Farmland and Forest Land Assessment Act of 1974, 72 PA. CONS. STAT. §§ 5490.1-5490.13, also known as Clean and Green. Land enrolled in Clean and Green receives preferential treatment in the form of reduced property taxes. If a parcel no longer meets the requirements of Clean and Green,” rollback taxes” can be imposed to collect the tax differential for up to the prior seven years. As natural gas exploration has increased in Pennsylvania, individual counties have taken differing approaches to the imposition of rollback taxes. Some counties have calculated the rollback penalty on the entire acreage enrolled in the program; others have imposed it only on that portion of the property used for natural gas development activity (well pad, storage areas, etc.). The House bills provide for uniform statewide application of rollback taxes, with the rollback assessed only upon the portion of a parcel used for oil and gas operations. The bills provide similar treatment for alternative energy generation and small non-coal surface mining. If you have any questions about the legislation which now goes to the Senate, contact Steve Saunders.
Saunders Named to Regional Independent Authority
The Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners recently named Steve Saunders to a seat on the County of Lackawanna Transit System (“COLTS”) Board of Directors. The independent authority board consists of five members who oversee the management of the County’s transportation system. Currently, COLTS is developing a multi-million dollar inter-modal center that will act as the hub for regional bus line connections and eventually, the planned commuter rail service from Scranton to New York City. Saunders was named Vice Chairman of the Board when it reorganized in January of 2009.