[vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Post contributed by David Messersmith, Extension Educator for Penn State EXTENSION Wayne County.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_custom_heading text=”, will cover the latest trends, issues and concerns surrounding shale gas development in Pennsylvania and neighboring states.” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:30px|text_align:left|line_height:32px” google_fonts=”font_family:PT%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]
The conference will be held October 10-12 at the Penn Stater Conference Center in State College, PA and will feature sessions on a variety of current shale gas topics. Special break-out sessions will offer environmental, legal and technical perspectives.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_custom_heading text=”” font_container=”tag:h4|font_size:28px|text_align:left|line_height:30px” google_fonts=”font_family:PT%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

• The opening keynote presenter will be Kevin Massey with the Brookings Institute. During the next decade the US will undoubtedly develop the capacity to export significant volumes of natural gas in the form of LNG. Kevin will be examining the case for LNG exports and how exports could impact domestic natural gas prices over the next 10 years.
• International Perspectives on Shale Gas Development: Part of today’s shale energy story is how other counties are utilizing American technology to develop their own domestic energy resources. Panelists from Germany, Poland and Canada will share their respective approaches to shale development and discuss public sentiment in each of their countries. There will also be an open round-table discussion with these panelists during the evening of Thursday, October 11.
• Creating Effective Community Dialog on Hydraulic Fracturing: Panelists representing Penn State, Cornell and the University of Pittsburgh will be sharing case studies on how to effectively engage community stakeholders on shale energy issues.
• Making Sense of Shale Gas Resource Estimates: During the past year we have seen wildly different resource and reserve estimates for the Marcellus and other shale plays in the US. Dr. Tom Blasingame, PhD, Texas A&M will discuss why these estimates have been so diverse and then share current academic consensus on shale gas reserves.
• Methane Distribution in Geologic Layers above the Marcellus in Northeastern Pennsylvania: Methane migration has been a much-discussed topic related to shale gas development, especially in Northeastern PA. In this session Dr. Terry Engelder, PhD, Penn State University, will provide an in-depth discussion of the geology of this region and its implications for naturally occurring methane and methane migration.
• Regulatory and Legal Perspectives from NY, OH, PA and WV: There will be a variety of presenters and sessions where perspectives from each of the Marcellus and Utica shale states are discussed.
• An applied-research poster session, commercial exhibits and trade show will be held in the exhibit hall during the conference

Conference participants will include county and municipal officials, industry representatives, legislators, attorneys, state and federal agency staff, environmental and community group members, and others interested in the wide range of opportunities and challenges arising from shale gas development. The conference provides an excellent opportunity to network and make important connections with these shale gas stakeholders.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_single_image css_animation=”” image=”1741″ border_color=”” img_link_large=”” link=”http://cabotsusq.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/marcellus-summit-2012.gif” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Be sure to check out the 2012 Marcellus Summit website for the full conference agenda and for registration details. Attendees can choose to register for a single day or for the whole conference.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row animation=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]The Marcellus Summit also offers companies and organizations involved in shale energy a great opportunity to exhibit their information, products or services. Sponsorship and exhibitor information can be found on the conference website. For more information, contact David Messersmith at 570-253-5970 x 4110 or by email at [email protected].[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]