Potter County Today

A $100,000 federal grant to support a “community re-entry” program at the Potter County Jail has crossed an important congressional hurdle. The project was approved last week by the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee as a section of the Fiscal Year 2011 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill. The bill must be approved by the full Senate, the House of Representatives and signed into law by the President before funding is final.

The collaborative criminal justice, social services, job training, health, and life skills community re-entry program would serve Potter County Jail inmates and family members during the inmate’s incarceration and for six months after release from jail.

Potter County Emergency Management Coordinator Glenn Dunn reported that the National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed the violent weather that swept through the region Saturday evening as a Category EF1 tornado.

NWS radar showed two tornado vortex signatures that crossed Potter County from the Shinglehouse area to the Galeton area and continued into Tioga and Lycoming counties. The tornado started around 7:05 and was on the ground for about one mile. The path was slightly curved and extended from a small tributary of the West Branch of Pine Creek just to the north of Rt. 2002 to the opposite side of that same road. The tornado destroyed an estimated 1,500 trees and up to 10 power poles along Rt. 2002, west-southwest of Galeton.  There were several eyewitnesses. Estimated maximum wind speed was 90 mph. Maximum path width was 250 yards. Some roads were blocked and electrical lines brought down. The tornado’s path can easily be tracked by fallen and dismembered trees.

About 75 percent of tornadoes are Category EF0 or EF1, described by the NWS as “moderate,” with winds of 72-112 miles per hour. These photos were taken from the West Branch Road by Ken Button. Coordinator Dunn pointed out that some seasonal homes in that area were damaged by fallen trees and limbs. There were apparently no injuries. “We were fortunate that the tornado did not touch down in a populated area,” he explained. “We’re also fortunate that it struck at a time when the camps and seasonal homes in that area were not occupied.”

LPN Elizabeth Packer was on hand to assist military veterans at the new Potter County VA Clinic at the Maple View property, off Rt. 872 in east Coudersport, as patient services began on July 22. The county is partnering with the Bath (N.Y.) VA Medical Center to see veterans who qualify for VA services at the local clinic each Thursday. Plans for the local clinic have been in the works for several years. In many cases, it will allow local military veterans to receive service closer to home, rather than traveling to Bath or Erie. To learn more or schedule an appointment, call 260-9342.

(c) Photo by Gerri Miller/Black Forest Broadcasting

A wealth of information on the impact of Marcellus Shale gas production on state forest land has now been posted on the Pa. Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources website. Nathan Bennett, a senior geologist with DCNR, and Susquehannock District Forester Chris Nicholas discussed some of the consequences of opening more forest land to drilling as guest speakers at this month’s Potter County Natural Gas Task Force meeting. Bennett referred to pending updates on the website that have now gone live, providing citizens with a wealth of information to more thoroughly comprehend what is coming.

Mineral rights on roughly half of the 262,000 acres of the Susquehannock State Forest land – most of it in Potter County — are privately owned and available for gas drilling at the owners’ discretion. Additionally, DCNR has leased thousands of its wholly owned acres to energy companies to generate revenue for the state’s general fund.

The accompanying map of the state’s northwest quadrant shows, in red, the tracts that the state leased to energy companies earlier this year, including two properties (upper right) in Potter County. Seneca Resources of Houston, Texas, was high bidder on 7,440 acres between Denton Hill and Fox Hill, offering $23.3 million for the first year. Penn Virginia Corp. submitted the high bid of $13.9 million for the first year on 3,640 acres in Eulalia and Roulette townships, north and west of Coudersport. The state will also receive 18 percent of production royalties.

DCNR anticipates that several hundred gas wells are coming on state forest land over the next decade, a large percentage of them in Potter County. The increased drilling will have an impact on other forest users for decades to come.

To provide citizens with additional information, DCNR has posted information on its website here.

More information on Marcellus Shale/natural gas issues is also available on the Potter County website at pottercountypa.net.

Charles Cole Memorial Hospital is partnering with Clinical Outcomes Group Inc. (COGI) for no-cost smoking and tobacco cessation programs August 5-6.  Participants completing the hour-long program are eligible for no-cost nicotine replacement therapies, including gum, lozenges or patches.  All services are free, regardless of income. Those planning to attend can choose from among five sessions: Thursday, Aug. 5, Patterson Cancer Care Center, 10:30 am; Cole Hospital Main Conference Room, 3:30 pm; Gunzburger County Office Building, 6 pm; Friday, Aug. 6, Cole Hospital Main Conference Room, 7:30 am; Gunzburger County Office Building, noon. To register or learn more, call 1-800-264-1290. Walk-ins are also welcome.

COGI has been providing services in Pennsylvania for more than ten years. A non-profit organization, COGI serves those affected by alcohol, tobacco and abusive situations. In addition to holding workshops, the organization refers individuals to support groups and otherwise helps them through the process of quitting. For more information on COGI, visit the website, http://www.coginc.org/

The Worldwatch Institute has launched an initiative designed to explore and communicate the potential of natural gas, renewable energy, and energy efficiency to work together to build a low-carbon economy. The project provides a forum to examine potential environmental, social, and political obstacles that must be addressed if natural gas is to accelerate, rather than delay, a low-carbon energy transformation. With companies flocking to the Marcellus Shale natural gas region in northern Pennsylvania, the issue has major implications for this area.

Partnering with leading companies, academic institutions, industry, and the public sector, the initiative will propose needed actions, with a focus initially on the United States. Carl Roberts, a veteran geologist from Coudersport, has reviewed the first in a series of briefing papers, entitled “Addressing the Environmental Risks from Shale Gas Development,” and considers it to be an excellent source of information. To obtain a copy of this report (registration required), and to sign up for others, click here.