Wells, Sump Pumps and Septic Sewage Systems - SW Pa well and Methane Gas drilling

General questions for any of the water well and drilling professionals that know about the impact of coal bed methane gas recovery (MGR) in SW Pennsylvania area on water wells. We've just received notice of a methane gas recovery well that will be placed on the adjoining property some 400-500 feet away. By PA State law, these rigs can be placed within 200 feet of a residence. I don't have any more details on the MGR well at this point -- but, our well is about 135 feet deep and has always been a good producer although I have not had it or the water quality tested recently.
My questions are:
1. What tests would you suggest and who pays for the baseline water output and water quality testing?
2. Would hiring a hydrogeologist and lawyer be recommended? I have a good well person for conducting the well output test but I'm not sure of his professional training
2. Recently another county resident, who was in a similar position had a well fire when methane gas leaked into his deep well... Are there any options and suggestions for methane gas detectors in the well, the house? Any suggested ventilation techniques in your experience would be helpful as well.
Thanks for your time and reply.
Gary

I just wanted to add that in our area these Methane Gas Wells sites have been growing rapidly and are being installed just about every where. Recent local headlines have included water wells filling with methane and occasionally exploding - complete loss of water - degradation of well water quality. I'm just wanting to start preparing for whatever eventuality arises.
Thanks,
Gary

I've learned a bit more. The company putting in the Methane Gas Recovery well is CNX, a subsidiary of Consol Coal Company. And in PA, whoever owns the mineral rights owns the methane gas from the coal and has a right to get it. The only restrictions are that the drill sites can not be closer than 200 feet. In PA, residences located 200 ft. to 1000 ft. are entitled to well water quality testing and monitoring. We're located at 1500 ft. out but the CNX representative said that he'd authorize our well be tested. I took him up on it and met with a water quality tech today for samples, not a CNX employee but from a firm they contract with for testing. The tech indicated they do quite a bit more testing than what I normally have done for making sure the water is safe -- even the tests I have performed are about $80 and require about a pint of sample well water. He wound up taking 4 bottles of water about a liter size and one that was about a 1/4 liter. He said they do the standard Coliform, Sulphate, Phoshate testing but also some additional Organic/Inorganic and Oil/Diesel tests as well. Ph of the water was about 7.4, slightly alkaline which is what I expected. He also dropped a water sensor down the main well and hit water at 47 ft. -- when we moved in, we had a 1000 gal holding tank installed and the water flow tested. The well workers said it was a good well and recovered quickly but didn't say where the water height was... I seem to recall it was producing 15 gpm and was drilled to a depth of around 130 ft.
I'm going to go ahead and have a well Flow Test done as well at my expense -- not so much for the MGR drill site that is going in, but for a baseline; potentially for the next MGR drill site that'll be put in closer, as they tend to multiply if there's a lot of gas coming out of the first hole.
Any additional comments appreciated -- if I've not thought of something.
Thanks,
Gary