The Sullivan County Gas Drilling Task Force was convened by the County Legislature to address countywide issues and impacts anticipated to result from potential natural gas development in in the Marcellus Shale basin. The Task Force consists of the County Manager, County Attorney, Treasurer and Division/Department heads of Planning, Public Works, and Emergency Management, the Real Property Tax Services, Members issued a report entitled,  "Preparing for Natural Gas Development in Sullivan County: Understanding Impacts and Protecting Publilc Assets," on February 13, 2009, with major findings and recommendations for action by the County Legislature and various divisions within the County Government.

The report primarily provides an assessment of municipal-level impacts from potential gas development in Sullivan County. The Task Force reviewed trends for locations of gas development within the county; potential impacts on municipal infrastructure and tools for mitigating impacts; limits on municipal jurisdiction and authority under current law and proposed legislation; issues for inclusion in New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's scoping and environmental review currently underway; and projected revenues to be expected from real property tax assessment on gas production.

View the Task Force Report (dated February 13, 2009)