Listen: here’s why some strike it rich in the gas patch and others strike out

Marie Cusick

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Marie Cusick was the Harrisburg reporter for StateImpact Pennsylvania.
Amy Sisk

Recent Stories

Amy Sisk reports for StateImpact Pennsylvania and WESA, Pittsburgh's NPR member station. She comes to Pennsylvania from another energy-rich state, North Dakota, where she told stories from coal mines, wind farms and the Bakken oil patch for Inside Energy and Prairie Public Broadcasting. Amy's stories often air on NPR, including those from the eight months she spent following the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. A reporting trip to the Bakken during its boom years sparked her interest in energy. Ever since, she's covered the industry -- from the way it is regulated to its influence on policy to its impact on people and the environment.

Marie Cusick/ StateImpact Pennsylvania

A natural gas drilling site in Susquehanna County.

March 6, 2018 | 2:11 PM

Marie Cusick/ StateImpact Pennsylvania

A natural gas drilling site in Susquehanna County.

The United States lets private individuals own the right to the minerals under their land. While that sets it apart from virtually every other country, it also opens the door to a host of disputes.

As StateImpact Pennsylvania recently reported, disparities in how mineral royalties are paid spans the Marcellus Shale, and it’s popping up in other oil- and gas-rich regions across the country. It stems from a complex web of laws, court rulings and legal jargon that determines how money is distributed to property owners who allow energy companies to tap the minerals below their land.

Reporters Amy Sisk and Marie Cusick appeared on WITF’s Smart Talk Tuesday to explain.

Listen here: