Senate Majority Policy Committee to Hold Hearing on Marcellus Shale

The Senate Majority Policy Committee will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, November 18th, 2008, in Dallas to better understand and manage the opportunities and challenges posed by the development of the Marcellus Shale natural gas deposit in the Commonwealth.   

The hearing will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Kennedy Room of the Banks Student Life Center at Misericordia University in Dallas, PA.

Senate Policy Committee Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte) and Sen. Lisa Baker (R-Dallas) said the Senate panel will hear from testifiers on a wide variety of issues related to the Marcellus Shale, including:

• The history and status of Marcellus Shale in the Commonwealth and surrounding region.
• The experience of other states with similar resource development.
• The environmental impact of gas development and the Commonwealth's current state of statute and regulation regarding drilling.
• The readiness of Pennsylvania's various levels of government to properly manage the economic, environmental, infrastructure and social impacts of development.
• The economic impact of large-scale development of Marcellus Shale.

Among those scheduled to testify are representatives of the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, a panel of industry officials, local government and school officials, and others with expertise in this area of energy.  Media coverage is invited.