Oil and gas development has a long and storied history in Pennsylvania. More than 350,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania since 1859, with more than 70,000 active oil and natural gas wells in the commonwealth today, not including Marcellus Shale wells.
And while those early wells were drilled with conventional methods, hydraulic fracturing has been in widespread use in Pennsylvania for the last 50 years. Today, nine out of ten wells are hydraulically fractured and every Marcellus well utilizes this well completion technique.
Extensive research has been conducted on the process and procedures involved in hydraulic fracturing. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, numerous scientists and academics, and state regulators have all publically commented on its safety. Currently, and at the direction of Congress, the EPA is undergoing a multi-year study to determine if there is any impact from hydraulic fracturing on groundwater resources.
