Oil and Gas

The Marcellus Shale is a black shale formation located beneath parts of West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Although geologists have known about the presence of gas in the Marcellus Shale for many years, improvements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have only recently made recovering that gas economically viable.

It is estimated that the Marcellus Shale contains between 168 and 516 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, making the Marcellus Shale one of the largest gas reserves in the world. In addition, the Marcellus Shale is found in close proximity to high demand gas markets. Thus, the presence of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale in New York offers potential opportunities, as well as challenges, for gas companies, landowners, municipalities and our economy.

Bond has helped numerous clients to resolve legal issues related to oil and gas exploration in New York, beginning long before the recent widespread interest in the Marcellus Shale. We know how meet the challenges presented by the extraction of this natural resource. Our attorneys have extensive experience in the areas of permitting, oil and gas leasing, pipelines, the formation of spacing units, compulsory integration, eminent domain, gas storage, zoning and planning, real property tax assessment, plugging and abandonment, water withdrawals and waste disposal.

Our experience handling numerous matters involving the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Division of Mineral Resources, NYSDEC's Central Office and its regional offices has given us a unique understanding of NYSDEC, its rules and its personnel. We also have experience representing clients before the New York State Public Service Commission for the approval of gas-related infrastructure including transmission and gas distribution pipelines.