Marcellus & Utica Shale Drilling – Coming to Erie, PA

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At a seminar in Erie, PA for manufacturers and other companies interested in becoming suppliers to the shale gas industry, Marcellus Shale Coalition president Kathryn Klaber told attendees that it’s just a matter of time before Marcellus and Utica Shale drilling comes to their area.

"There is no reason why the birthplace of the oil and gas industry won’t play a major role," Klaber said Monday morning during a break from a seminar at Penn State Behrend, sponsored by the coalition, the Northwest Industrial Resource Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

That’s more than just wishful thinking by drilling advocates.

Erie County residents sit atop two major gas-producing rock formations, the Marcellus Shale and the deeper Utica Shale.

In this region, gas reserves within the Utica Shale are thought to be more plentiful.

Klaber said the fact that the drilling started in other parts of Pennsylvania doesn’t mean that activity won’t expand.*

Other parts of northwestern Pennsylvania are seeing drilling activity:

Through Sunday, 74 shale wells had been permitted in Clarion County, 179 in Elk County and 211 in Potter County, according to DEP.*

*Erie (PA) Times-News (May 15, 2012) – Shale drilling will play a role in Erie-area economy