Pocono News Section

73 New Natural Gas Drilling Permits Issued in PA

73 New Natural Gas Drilling Permits Issued in PA - Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 11:58AM EST

Reported by: Brian Fitzgerald
Thursday, Sep 18, 2008 @ 11:58am EST

Tremendous amounts of natural gas resources were unlocked Wednesday in our area. The Department of Environmental Protection issued 73 drilling permits for 12 Pennsylvania counties including Bradford, Lycoming, and Susquehanna.

Brand new technologies now allow drilling where it was never possible before. Pennsylvania has an abundance of a rock formation called marcellus shale. Extracting natural gas from it requires horizontal drilling, and large amounts of water. The water can originate from various sources including municipal supplier’s and streams. But taking large amounts of water from streams and aquifers may cause temporary disruption of flow in household water wells.

The DEP says this announcement could potentially lead to millions of dollars in new investments, lower energy prices, and reduced pollution.