Chesapeake Returns Site to Natural State
Chesapeake believes that how a great product is produced is as important as the product itself. We strive to minimize our impact on the environment whenever possible. This includes everything from site selection to designing and drilling multiple wells from a single padsite.
When drilling activities are finished, Chesapeake does all it can to return the area to a state as good as or better than it found it. This includes removing gravel and reseeding the area with natural vegetation.
The Skinner Pad in Upshur County, West Virginia, illustrates the importance of these efforts. A drillsite, roads and water impoundment were installed to begin production. When the space was not needed, equipment and gravel were replaced with green grass.
The site has been returned to nearly a natural state, with only a small area of necessary tanks and production equipment remaining. This is all that will be needed at the site as the two wells continue to produce the natural gas that powers our nation — as well as royalties for landowners — for decades to come.
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During drilling |
After site recovery |
Marcellus Shale Drilling in West Virginia
With our acquisition of Columbia Natural Resources in 2005, Chesapeake has been active in West Virginia through our predecessors since the early 1900s. As a result, we are one of the largest natural gas producers and the most active driller in the Marcellus Shale. Our more than 4,500 West Virginia wells produced more than 81 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent in 2011. In 2011, we paid more than $21.9 million in royalties to West Virginians and $45.9 million in taxes. We are committed to helping West Virginia realize the great potential of its rich natural gas resources while maintain the historic beauty of the Mountain State.
The Marcellus Shale is found in Northern West Virginia, where Chesapeake has been drilling horizontal and vertical wells since 2007.