Republican Leaders Tour Beech Resources, LLC in Linden: A Look at a Local Natural Gas Drilling Site with Dave McCormick and Kurt Smith
By Emily Wright
LINDEN— Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate Dave McCormick made a stop in Lycoming County Thursday to pay a visit to an active well pad for a tour in the Linden area. Joining him was Clinton County’s own Kurt Smith, Chairman of the county’s Republican Party. The Record had the opportunity to tour the rig and get an inside look at how it operates, in addition to learning about the two Republican leaders’ viewpoints on the natural gas industry in Pennsylvania.
This week marks the conclusion of McCormick’s 67-county tour in Pennsylvania, with Linden’s Beech Resources LLC rig being one of his final stops.
Beech Resources, LLC is a privately held oil and natural gas company with 130 years of petroleum industry experience, and it boasts a track record of excellence in the exploration and development of oil and natural gas resources. The company is committed to working in a responsible and eco-friendly manner to produce and enhance existing hydrocarbon reserves.
At the Linden site, which spans over 10 acres, the company currently employs 24 local staff members, all residing less than two hours away. The company prioritizes utilizing local vendors to construct its well sites, and the Linden site was built just last year with services provided by Smith Construction of North Bend, Double D Construction & Excavation LLC of Montoursville, and Glenn O. Hawbaker, who did the paving at the site. Precision drillers are also contracted to work on this rig, and local companies are prioritized.
Although the site was constructed in 2023, the work there is anticipated to conclude in July or August. By November 2024, the well pad will start generating revenue.
With wells already drilled nearly 5,000 feet below the surface, the Linden site produces what one staff member on the tour referred to as “pipeline-ready” natural gas that just needs the water content to be stripped from it. For every gallon of water coming up through the well, approximately 20% can be stored and reused for the drilling process. When it’s all said and done, everything at the expansive drill site can be deconstructed and moved to another site within four days.
During the tour, Drilling Superintendant and retired Air Force veteran Bill Martin shared information about the site and how it operates. McCormick asked Martin how regulations on an active well pad in Pennsylvania have changed in recent years, and Martin reported that, most notably, the state has put increased emphasis on well-site safety regulations. Additionally, regulations for cleanup at the site once the work is finished have been amped up. “The state is very particular about what’s left behind,” Martin stressed. While the well pad is active, any type of chemical spill that might occur must be properly cleaned up according to regulations issued by the state, and according to Martin, not a drop will be left behind.
In addition to following more stringent state regulations, the Beech Resources site in Linden operates with a focus on reducing carbon emissions. Crew members shared that they use battery packs to power certain equipment, which can run for 24 hours before a generator is needed, and the generators run off of natural gas, resulting in fewer emissions of air pollutants. “We’re working to make people’s lives better economically, and a lot of times, we leave the site better than it was when we got here,” one staff member shared.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick argues that Pennsylvania holds significant natural gas reserves, but current policies under President Biden have prevented the state from accessing this resource. He criticizes these policies for leading to job losses and rising energy prices, noting that his opponent, Senator Bob Casey, supported a cap-and-trade policy that would continue to work against Pennsylvanians.
McCormick is a conservationist who believes economic growth and clean energy can coexist. He calls for energy policies that do not impose damage to our society, economy, or national security, and he emphasizes the need for American energy independence.
When The Record spoke with McCormick, he expressed that one of his goals is to make drilling less difficult in the state by implementing more reasonable restrictions without compromising safety or the environment. He also stressed the need for strong leadership in Washington, especially for spearheading economic and energy-related issues. He claims that Bob Casey has shown weakness on these issues and contends that a new leader is needed to advance Pennsylvania’s energy sector and promote economic growth.
“These are incredible jobs,” McCormick said about employment in PA’s natural gas industry. He mentioned that most individuals employed within the industry here start out with an annual salary of about $60,000.00, and when overtime is factored in, that number is upwards of $80,000.00.
“If you believe what I believe, which is that the one thing we need to do to advance Pennsylvania’s future and economic growth is to unlock our energy sector,” McCormick said. “We need a senator who is going to lead on that,” he added. McCormick exemplified the contrast between himself and Bob Casey in terms of growing PA’s energy sector and pointed out that Casey endorsed President Biden’s anti-American energy policies. “I’m my own guy, and I’m going to fight for Pennsylvania,” he asserted.
Kurt Smith, Clinton County Republican Chairman, also supports natural gas as a clean and reliable energy source. “It’s a shame we lost the Renovo power plant, and I wish that the lights would be turned off first for the people who were against it,” he said. “Natural gas is 99.9% clean burning, and we all need energy. The fallacy and foolishness that we don’t is just that: fallacy and foolishness,” he added.
Smith mentioned that he’d heard that the active well pads in Pennsylvania now operate with more eco-friendly strategies. His visit to the Beech Resources site confirmed that they’re actually more eco-friendly than he thought, thanks to new developments in the technology used on the sites. In closing, Smith underscored an astounding piece of information he gathered during the tour: “There’s more technology here than is orbiting the space shuttle.”
As McCormick wraps up his 67-county tour in Pennsylvania, his visit to the Beech Resources LLC well pad in Linden highlights his commitment to revitalizing the state’s natural gas industry. McCormick’s stance on energy independence and his critical view of current policies set the stage for the robust debate expected in the upcoming Senate race.
