Attention given to environmental claims about hydraulic fracturing has grown over the last few years, and more recently with the documentary film Gasland, media attention has increased significantly. Many environmental groups as well as local, state, and federal legislators, have attempted to increase the regulation of hydraulic fracturing and called for additional disclosure of chemicals used in the process in an attempt to prevent hydraulic fracturing and gas drilling in certain areas of the country. Because natural gas potentially has a significant role to play in terms of energy independence and security and in reducing air pollutants and greenhouse gases produced by other fossil fuels, it is critical to clarify the reality of shale gas drilling for natural gas and oil, identify potential risks, and manage those risks unaddressed by current regulatory schemes.
In this 90-minute webinar, Joseph Frantz and Matt Pitzarella of Range Resources, and Scott Deatherage, partner, Patton Boggs LLP, will explain the technical and regulatory aspects of hydraulic fracturing and shale drilling and attempt to clarify some misperceptions about the industry. This webinar is designed to review:
Scott Deatherage, Joseph H. Frantz, Jr., and Mike Mackin
Scott Deatherage is a partner with Patton Boggs LLP in Dallas, Texas. He advises clients on a variety of environmental, energy, and greenhouse gas regulation issues. His practice focuses on permitting, compliance, administrative law, and judicial litigation on a variety of environmental issues including air emissions, wastewater discharges, hazardous waste, hazardous substances, and toxic substances. Deatherage represents clients before local, state and federal environmental agencies, as well as state and federal courts. He has significant experience representing oil and gas, pipeline, refining, and marketing of oil and refined products clients with respect to environmental matters. In particular, he has advised clients with respect to hydraulic fracturing regulation in multiple states. Deatherage earned his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School where he was the staff editor and articles editor for The Harvard Environmental Law Review; staff and recent developments author, Harvard International Law Journal; and research and writing assistant for Professor Laurence H. Tribe for the Second Edition of American Constitutional Law. He received his B.A. in Letters from the University of Oklahoma, with highest honors.
Joseph H. Frantz, Jr. is vice president of engineering for Range Resources in their Marcellus Shale Division in Southpointe, Pa. He is responsible for all completion and water management efforts, the production and reservoir engineering departments, and water disposal efforts. Frantz has been involved with developing and evaluating shale reservoirs for more than 20 years across the United States and Canada. He has worked for both operators and consultants in the drilling, completion, production, and reservoir departments. He started his career in the early 1980s in California with Getty Oil and Texaco and completed wells in the prolific shale reservoirs in the Southeast Lost Hills Field. As a consultant, he worked 16 years for S. A. Holditch & Associates and Schlumberger DCS where he evaluated most of the older and newly discovered shale plays across the United States, including the Marcellus. As a long-time SPE member, he has authored or co-authored numerous industry papers on shale reservoirs, has been an instructor on developing shale reservoirs, and has given numerous presentations as an invited speaker on shale reservoirs. He has participated in and/or chaired numerous technical committees at the local and national levels and currently is co-chair of the technical committee within the Marcellus Shale Coalition.
Mike Mackin is communications manager with Range Resources in Southpointe, Pa.