Whats the Impact of the Marcellus Shale on our Environment?
Pittsburgh is at the center of another energy revolution. The drilling of the Marcellus Shale promises jobs in areas hard hit by unemployment, lucrative leases for landowners and a new energy economy. The potential is staggering. As one industry executive put it, Pennsylvania is to natural gas what Saudi Arabia is to oil. The Marcellus will be bigger to PA than the blast furnace, says another. Companies are coming in from all over the world. The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection has handed out drilling permits for more than 3,000 wells to date. This is only the beginning of a job boom that many say will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and generate tremendous wealth. The industry is promising 20,000 new jobs by 2020, however lasting they may be. The gas brings with it the potential for new energy technologies too, such as natural gas-fueled public transportation and vehicles. But at what cost? Like Edwin Drake who successfully figured how to drill for oil in Titusville 150 years
