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Marcellus Shale Archive
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The Marcellus Shale Issue Today
As introduced in a previous article, the issue of Marcellus Shale continues to occupy not only media outlets, but the topic has also reached the Governor’s desk and is the talk of many rural towns. New information and rumors seem to appear daily, but on the political and environmental fronts, battle lines have been drawn. Even [...] -
Marcellus Shale 101
Marcellus Shale is a prominent issue in Pennsylvania. Known as the “Marcellus Shale play,” this natural resource, like any other energy source, spurs concern and debate in the arenas of economics, environmentalism, and politics. Before these issues are addressed, we must first look at the basics of the situation. Marcellus Shale formations lay five to nine [...] -
Marcellus Shale Development Will Create New Opportunities, Expand Liberties
The expansion of personal and economic liberty in Western Pennsylvania cannot occur without the strengthening and expansion of the private sector. Currently, the public sector enjoys such a significant economic advantage nationally and locally that it is impossible for voluntary economic relationships to flourish without the government overseeing and intruding upon them. Perhaps the greatest natural [...] -
Marcellus Shale News In Brief
Rendell Administration Leases Land to Natural Gas Companies in No-Bid Contracts The cash-strapped Rendell administration has leased nearly 150,000 acres of public forests and game lands to gas companies that paid $400 million to drill for natural gas. Some critics say Pennsylvania taxpayers lost out on more money when administration officials privately negotiated two of the deals, [...] -
Proposed Drilling Ban an Assault on Pittsburgh Taxpayers, Property Owners
Pittsburgh Councilman Doug Shields is planning to announce legislation that would ban natural gas drilling in the city, a ban that Shields characterizes as asserting the city’s right to protect itself from a harmful industry, the Post-Gazette reported. Ignoring, for the moment, Shields’ unsupported fear that natural gas drilling is a threat to the city or [...] -
Onorato Reveals Plan to Illegally Extort Jobs from Marcellus Drillers
In a stunning development in the debate over Marcellus Shale exploration, Allegheny County Executive and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato suggested “he’d pressure natural gas drilling companies to hire Pennsylvania residents by threatening to withhold state drilling permits,” Scott Detrow of State House Sound Bites reported. Elaborating on this strategy, Onorato said, “I think all governors [...]