the sale, Norse now owns or leases approximately 130,000 net acres in New York, of which 33,000 lies in the liquids-rich shale fairways of western New York, with the remaining 97,000 net acres in the Marcellus and Utica natural gas fairways in central New York.

Norse almost threw in the towel on New York. Last fall it put most of its leasehold in the state up for sale, began looking into joint venture possibilities and mulled a shift toward Pennsylvania (see Shale Daily, Oct. 31, 2011; Oct. 25, 2011). But with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) making headway on its revised supplemental generic environmental impact statement on fracking, Norse is finding a renewed sense of optimism.

Last month DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens said there was no timetableTown of Dryden in Tompkins County have enacted local ordinances that ban fracking. In separate rulings earlier this year, county judges have upheld those ordinances (see Shale Daily, Feb. 29; Feb. 23). Both decisions are expected to be appealed.

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