Top 10 stories of 2013: Controversial pooling law, major layoffs

As 2013 draws to a close, StateImpact Pennsylvania is looking back at our top ten most popular online stories.
For the next five days, we’ll share two per day from the list.
10. Corbett signs controversial bill giving drillers power to pool leases

In July, Governor Corbett signed a controversial bill into law, giving drillers the power to combine or “pool” leases for horizontal oil and gas drilling.
The legislation was originally promoted as an effort to bring more transparency to the deductions companies take out of royalty payments, but an organization representing Pennsylvania’s mineral owners was angered over language added later on, which allows pooling of some leases. They have called the measure a “Trojan horse.”
Less than two weeks later, EQT cited the new law in a lawsuit against a group of landowners in Western Pennsylvania over drilling rights.
9. Chesapeake Energy lays off 800 employees nationwide

Amid leadership changes and financial woes, Oklahmoma City- based Chesapeake Energy let go of about 10 percent of its workforce in 2013.
In early October, the company laid off 800 people (including about 20 in Pennsylvania) in a single day. New CEO Doug Lawler said the corporate restructuring is now concluded. Chesapeake is the largest drilling company operating in Pennsylvania.
 

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