What is the Marcellus Shale formation?
The Marcellus Shale is a rock formation that lies more than a mile underground and stretches from New York through Pennsylvania and into West Virginia. In Pennsylvania, the formation reaches from the northern tier as far east as Wayne County and as far south and west as Greene County and the Pittsburgh area. It is thought to contain large quantities of natural gas. Why is there so much recent interest in the Marcellus Shale formation? Geologists have known for decades about the gas in the Marcellus Shale. New technologies, specifically advances in horizontal drilling, and increased gas prices have made it possible and economically viable to recover the hard-to-reach fuel trapped in this deep layer. What is DCNRs role in drilling for Marcellus Shale? DCNRs role in Marcellus Shale involves leasing state forest land to companies interested in recovering natural gas. The department does not have any role in leases on privately-owned lands. The Department of Environmental Protection is resp
