The Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Leasing of Land for Exploration and Drilling for Natural Gas in the Marcellus Shale, comprising Cornell faculty, staff and students, will advise the Cornell administration on future decisions regarding the leasing of Cornell lands for horizontal drilling combined with hydraulic fracturing.

The committee will create a brief report by the end of the spring 2010 semester with guidelines for the president to make future decisions on issues related to leasing of Cornell lands for drilling in the Marcellus Shale. At the present time, the university has no plans to lease lands for natural gas drilling.

Faculty membership: Susan Riha, earth and atmospheric science; Yves Parlange, biological and environmental engineering; Rick Allmendinger, earth and atmospheric science; Tony Ingraffea, civil and environmental engineering; Linda Nicholson, molecular biology and genetics; and Max Pfeffer, development sociology.

Staff membership: Steve Johnson, government and community relations; Drew Lewis, Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station; Gail Steinhart, Mann Library; and Pat McNally, environmental compliance and sustainability.

Jeffrey Jacquet, a graduate student in natural resources, also serves on the committee.