UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- With residents across the state asking questions about the Marcellus shale formation, natural gas exploration, mineral rights leasing and associated issues, WPSU-TV is responding with a one-hour live call-in program. At 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, WPSU-TV in central Pennsylvania will present "Pennsylvania's Gas Rush." This live call-in program will be simulcast statewide on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) and webcast via http://wpsu.org/gasrush/.

Residents with questions can call in during the live broadcast or submit questions online from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. This program will offer objective and reliable advice for Pennsylvanians about drilling and exploration development on leased land, the process of negotiating with gas companies, and signing leases and creating addenda. Information also will be presented about financial, environmental and infrastructure impacts.

Hosted by Patty Satalia, the one-hour program will explore natural gas issues with an expert panel, including a lawyer specializing in mineral rights leases and addenda; a representative from Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection, who will focus on environmental concerns in the state; an educator from Penn State Cooperative Extension well versed in many of the specific issues of the exploration process; and a gas industry representative.

A phone bank staffed by nonbiased experts will also be on hand during the program to take calls from viewers and answer questions. Questions can also be submitted online at http://wpsu.org/gasrush/.

While geologists and gas companies have long known that natural gas exists about 6,000 feet deep in Pennsylvania's shale, it has not been accessible until now. With discoveries of new drilling technology and rising prices of fossil fuels, the natural gas rush in Pennsylvania is unfolding. This natural gas has the potential to fuel the entire country for two full years.

For the past few years, Penn State Cooperative Extension has offered workshops --attended by more than 12,000 people -- to help landowners navigate the legal and practical issues of leasing their land for natural gas exploration and extraction. It's estimated that after learning about landowner rights and the leasing process, this education has helped landowners to negotiate leases that are collectively worth as much as $115 million more than the offers they had received prior to attending a workshop.

WPSU serves central Pennsylvania with programming, educational services and community outreach. The public media service produces, acquires and distributes programs that address local interests and reflect the diverse cultural, political, geographic and demographic characteristics of an audience within central Pennsylvania.

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Contact:
Jill Filby
WPSU TV/FM
jillfilby@psu.edu
814-863-9912

Chuck Gill
Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences
cdg5@psu.edu
814-863-2713