• MSC President in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said the industry complies with environmental regulations. “The Marcellus Shale Coalition is committed to protecting the commonwealth’s wildlife and streams,” she said. “We are eager and ready to work with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, just as we are with every other state government agency and regulatory body, to ensure that safe, responsible, heavily regulated shale gas development continues to drive economic opportunity and job creation in an environmentally responsible way.” (4/17/10)
  • Misericordia University President in the Wilkes Barre Times-Leader: “With scrutiny, an energy solution via Marcellus Shale … Northeastern Pennsylvania has an opportunity to become part of the solution through the careful and thoughtfully regulated extraction of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. Natural gas emits far less carbon than oil or coal. Other technologies such as nuclear-generated power and wind power also offer significant opportunities, but will take longer to develop. Natural gas is an excellent short-term way to limit pollutants while not sacrificing continued economic growth and prosperity here and abroad.” (4/19/10)
  • Atlas plans to hire 500; deal with Reliance could bring $5.3 billion into Pittsburgh region: “The local impact of a recently announced joint venture between Moon Township-based Atlas Energy Inc. and India’s largest private company, Reliance Industries Ltd., will have 500 new faces and a $5.3 billion price tag. In order to drastically ramp up drilling in the Marcellus Shale, as per the deal, Atlas plans to nearly double its staff in the next five years, said Atlas President Rich Weber. The company employs nearly 600 workers.” (Pittsburgh Business Times, 4/16/10)
  • “Energy companies have leased thousands of acres of land in Pennsylvania’s unspoiled northeastern tip, hoping to tap vast stores of gas in a sprawling rock formation — the Marcellus shale — that some experts believe could become the nation’s most productive gas field. Plenty of folks like Matoushek are eager for the gas, and the royalty checks, to start flowing — including farmers who see Marcellus money as a way to keep their struggling operations afloat. “It’s a depressed area,” Matoushek said. “This is going to mean new jobs, real jobs, not government jobs.” (Associated Press, 4/18/10)
  • “College connects courses, gas industry … The process of forging a partnership with industry companies and contractors began about a year ago when a Penn College team, in partnership with the Penn State Cooperative Extension, launched the Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center to act as a central resource for workforce training. “We wanted to understand the industry because there wasn’t a lot of history on it here locally,” said Jeffrey F. Lorson, industrial technology specialist for the center. “The industry was very involved with helping us,” he added. … According to Lorson, it takes more than 410 people working within nearly 150 occupations to drill a single well in the Marcellus Shale region. … While initially a large portion of the workers are expected to consist of “non-local workers,” the report acknowledges “nearly all these jobs could potentially be filled by local workers” through programs such as those at Penn College.” (Williamsport Sun-Gazette 4/18/10)