Pennsylvania riding high

摘要

Gov. Tom Corbett is promoting the renaissance known as the Marcellus shale. The state of Pennsylvania has a unique place in oil and gas history. It was the site of the first oil discovery in the US with Col. Drake's well in 1859, and it was one of the early titans of oil production in the country. More recently, the state, which had seen declining production for decades, once again found itself on the industry map with the development of the Marcellus shale. Unlike its sibling states Texas and North Dakota, which also found themselves buffeted by the shale gale, Pennsylvania's residents had become unused to the industry rumbling down their country roads. Environmental activists took advantage of this natural unease to turn the state into a hotbed of anti-fracing protests and challenges to state regulations. Into this melee came Gov. Tom Corbett. Corbett took office in 2011, the year after the movie "Gasland" scared the socks off of Pennsylvanians with-Marcellus shale under their homes and farms. Corbett recently spoke to a gathering at an industry breakfast in Houston about his efforts to understand and then take advantage of the wonders of the Marcellus.