Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sen. Mary Jo White While the scale of Marcellus Shale drilling is new to Pennsylvania, we have had a robust oil and gas industry in the commonwealth for decades. Any comparisons to past industrial extraction, such as coal mining, which occurred before the enactment of environmental laws, are simply inaccurate.

Pottstown Mercury, Congressman Joe Pitts As you are no doubt aware, the United State receives the majority of our oil from overseas sources. Unfortunately, we are dependent on volatile regions and despotic regimes for the petroleum that runs our cars. Just a few years ago it appeared that the United States would soon be dependent on foreign nations not only for oil, but also for natural gas.

Scranton Times-Tribune, Editorial A $500,000 upgrade of the historic rail yard in Fell Twp., which was built in 1825 to help ignite the region's coal boom, is a good example of the region's new gas industry's ability to boost overall economic development and of the growing importance of rail freight to the region.

Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, LTE As a farmer in the Marcellus Shale region, I have a different opinion on natural gas leasing and the effect on agriculture and the environment in Pennsylvania.

Scranton Times-Tribune This is where Marcellus Shale succeeds King Coal. Traffic will resume next month at the historic Carbondale rail yard after Linde Corp., a Honesdale-based utility and heavy construction contractor, completes a $500,000 upgrade linked to the region's emerging natural-gas industry.

Albany Times Union, LTE Unquestionably, the technology is already in place that can prevent these incidents and minimize the surface impact of shale gas drilling. Industry practice has reduced the surface impact of well pads to two miles apart and recycles and reuses nearly 100 percent of produced water. New York almost certainly will require full disclosure of chemicals and closed loop systems that make spills extremely unlikely.

Scranton Times-Tribune, Editorial In contrast, about 98 percent of all the natural gas consumed in the United States is produced here. Moreover, as demonstrated by the Marcellus Shale boom, the supply is abundant. Penn State geologists have estimated that the Marcellus Shale field alone contains more than 500 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas, whereas current national consumption is about 20 trillion cubic feet per year.