Gas Boom Aids Pennsylvania, but Some Worry Over the Risk

Gerald · 10-15-11, 04:16 PM

Quote:

A gas drilling site behind a farmhouse in Fairdale, west of Montrose, Pa. Drilling and the businesses supporting it have lifted the Susquehanna County economy.

MONTROSE, Pa. — In the economic downturn three years ago, Adam Diaz idled the trucks at his bluestone quarry and silenced the saws at his lumber mill. Fortunately for him, the gas companies arrived at about the same time, and Mr. Diaz saw an opportunity. He started hauling their waste. He parlayed 1 truck into 8 and now has a fleet of 53. Then he revived a weedy rail spur and now leases 210 rail cars to haul more waste containers. His work force grew to 180 from 30 as he created a business that now has revenues of $45 million a year. Other residents also began taking advantage of the “gas rush.” Some supplied the companies with machine parts; others laid pipe. One entrepreneurial couple opened a food wagon where they also sell alpaca socks to drillers from Louisiana and Texas who were unprepared for the cold. The gas boom is transforming small towns like this one (population 4,400 and growing) and revitalizing the economy of this once-forgotten stretch of rural northeastern Pennsylvania. The few hotels here have expanded, restaurants are packed and housing rentals have more than doubled. “There’s been a snowball effect due to the gas companies coming in,” Mr. Diaz, 33, said recently at his bustling empire near here.But the boom — brought on by an advanced drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking — has brought problems too. While the gas companies have created numerous high-paying drilling jobs, many residents lack the skills for them. Some people’s drinking water has been contaminated. Narrow country roads are crumbling under the weight of heavy trucks. With housing scarce and expensive, more residents are becoming homeless. Local services and infrastructure are strained.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/15/us...me&ref=general

Note: October 14, 2011

Platapus · 10-15-11, 04:27 PM

I hope that "Gas Boom" is just a figure of speech.

Usually you don't want those two words to be used together.

August · 10-15-11, 04:29 PM

I was out in Northeast Pennsylvania last month. The woods are festooned with wires to explosive charges and seismic monitors.

yubba · 10-15-11, 05:08 PM

I got property in southern tier New York leased out to the gas company, I can't say I'm a fan of frakking, I heard some horror stories about it. If they can get it out of the ground responsibly then I'm all for it, but there is some outfits that will cut corners then there is a problem.

10-15-11, 04:27 PM	#2
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,369 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	I hope that "Gas Boom" is just a figure of speech. Usually you don't want those two words to be used together. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

10-15-11, 04:29 PM	#3
August Wayfaring Stranger Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 23,199 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I was out in Northeast Pennsylvania last month. The woods are festooned with wires to explosive charges and seismic monitors. __________________ Flanked by life and the funeral pyre. Putting on a show for you to see.

10-15-11, 05:08 PM	#4
yubba Admiral Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: in a neighborhood near you Posts: 2,478 Downloads: 293 Uploads: 2	I got property in southern tier New York leased out to the gas company, I can't say I'm a fan of frakking, I heard some horror stories about it. If they can get it out of the ground responsibly then I'm all for it, but there is some outfits that will cut corners then there is a problem.