Hundreds came out to Williamsport, Pennsylvania last Friday to discuss the reason behind its enormous economic growth over the past year: natural gas. And who better to discuss it with than the one and only T Boone Pickens! For those of you not familiar with Williamsport or the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce, it is an area that embraced natural gas development as a plan for the future (we covered it recently here). More on CNG and this homegrown energy focused evening after the jump.

An Experience of a Lifetime

Before I continue on the night, I would first like to thank Cabot Oil and Gas for purchasing tickets to the main event and allowing us to raffle them off to attendees at their annual picnic. Those individuals from Susquehanna County who attended thanks to your contest (and the New Yorkers who rode down with them) were all smiles at the end of the night and each expressed sincere gratitude for the opportunity.  Here are a couple of videos of some of the attendees:

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Aside from the fun that was had, progress was made on an issue we have been following very closely. Esther Rayias, her husband and her sister who all reside in the “Dimock Box” were finally able to speak directly with Secretary Krancer of the Department of Environmental Protection. Secretary Krancer controls the fate of the moratorium still in place in Dimock and upon speaking with Esther, expressed a desire to meet with her to discuss the issue further. Congratulations, Esther, on being heard and good luck at your upcoming meeting!

A Diverse Panel Discussion

The CNG Focus Group created an entire day of natural gas themed activities for participants, including a panel discussion with Governor Tom Corbett, State Senator Eugene Yaw, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer, Douglas Miller, president of EXCO Resources Inc., Rob Browen, president of Talisman Energy USA, and Alan McKim, president of Clean Harbors. It was moderated by Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce President Vince Matteo.

I have to admit, as excited as I was to hear T Boone Pickens’, the panel had to end far too early! It was so enlightening to hear the plans of the legislatures of Pennsylvania, the regulators and the industry. They spoke candidly on their responsibilities, the need for job training, competition with other states and the potential for ending our dependence on foreign oil.

They discussed the Marcellus Shale as being a 50-100 year investment. Governor Corbett told the audience that “Energy=Jobs” and stressed the need for education to combat the extensive misinformation on natural gas development.  Governor Corbett also reprimanded the industry for not doing a better job when they first started operating in Pennsylvania.

Without further ado, please enjoy the following clips of part of the discussion.

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The Man with a Plan

As 83 year old T Boone took the stage, we moved from a locally focused discussion into the realm of how Pennsylvania plays into a national and even global perspective on energy. It was filled with Pickens’ contagious sense of humor as you can in the following 3 clips* where he sets the mood and discusses the need for a plan to move towards domestic fuel sources.

*Note: EID Marcellus was given permission to film the event by the Community Arts Center.

[myyoutubeplaylist 0SR4S8MRCb4, oBfrQ7PPZtc, FZ1oFHoH3Cc]

After discussing the importance of America’s need to have a solid energy plan, Mr. Pickens fielded questions from the audience.  The questions were asked by Vince Matteo, President of the Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce.  Please take a few minutes to watch them here.

Here T Boone gives a brief description of the Pickens Plan.

How has your opinion of energy evolved over the years?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Mz55gwNEy4

How do we keep from exporting our natural resources?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrYkvzIUT7I

On hydraulic fracturing:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4dzHUpbMww

On Chesapeake and Pennsylvania environmental regulations:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idPb3AxmbBQ

On the length of the boom and oil in the formations:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlQ2ZAoLV38

And the last and most important question of the night from all the Penn State fans in the audience: What is up with the OSU uniforms?!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7ux1qKw134

I hope you enjoyed the clips as much as we did the event. You can also check out the local coverage of the event here. If you ever have the opportunity to go and hear Mr. Pickens speak, I strongly encourage you to do so. He was both humorous and knowledgeable, and it was well worth the time spent!