Natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale can fuel a bright economic future1 for New York. Producing wells can yield valuable benefits in royalties, tax dollars and local revenue streams that will help keep New York’s economy strong. Yet before all the economic benefits of the Marcellus Shale can be realized, pipelines and compressors must be in place to move the gas to market — and eventually to power America’s energy needs.
With several decades of technology standing behind construction and installation methods, pipelines are the safest and most cost-effective means to transport natural gas.2 More than 2 million miles of natural gas pipelines currently crisscross our country.3 Just as you encounter electrical power lines in your daily travels, you pass by pipelines everyday. Unlike power lines, pipelines remain for the most part, unseen.
Planning and constructing pipelines is significantly more involved than simply connecting point A to point B, particularly in urban and environmentally sensitive areas.
From route development to site restoration, many factors are taken into account when laying pipelines. Factors considered both above and below the ground include pipeline constructability, effects on the environment, impacts on community life and existing infrastructure. As a result, communication and understanding between all parties is necessary for the successful construction of pipelines and compressor stations that will transport natural gas from the wellhead to the market.
Appalachia Midstream Services (AMS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chesapeake Midstream Operating, L.L.C. (CMO). AMS is the entity which owns the physical gathering assets that provide gathering service to both the upstream Chesapeake entity and other involved parties. AMS owns assets in many areas of the Appalachia Basin including New York.
Footnotes
1 Penn State University “An Emerging Giant: Prospects and Economic Impacts of Developing the Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Play.” Timothy Considine, Ph.D. and Robert Watson, Ph.D. August 5, 2009
2 U.S. Department of Transportation
3 U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration