I went to the Finger Lakes region to visit wineries, but saw something that reminded me of Northeastern Pennsylvania:
A four-acre drill pad overlooking Keuka Lake.
In the middle of the gravel was a cement platform with some plumbing on top, waiting for a gathering pipe to carry the precious gas away.
The pad was just down the road from the quaint farmhouse bed and breakfast I stayed at. Turns out, the co-owner Keuka Overlook Bed & Breakfast, Bob Barrett, is also on the Barrington Township Zoning Board.
The Finger Lakes region is full of very practical farmers. While some have complained as the well was being drilled and trucks hauled in gravel, Mr. Barrett said since activity there has quieted so has the grumbling.
“The gas company was very straightforward and direct,” he said. “The roads took a beating, but they said the roads will be restored.”
Mr. Barrett tells me I also passed a portion of the 77-mile natural gas pipeline known as the Empire Connector being interred nearby, but I missed that. He said those crews are restoring the land to its prior condition or better. So far, he said the gas and pipeline companies have been responsible.
“There are lots of things that will be necessary in the future that we ought to accept and sacrifice for now,” he said.
-- David Falchek
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