Marcellus Shale

For those opposed to natural gas exploration in New York, the arguments are often based on the potential environmental impacts of drilling. However, some are now making their voices heard regarding the potential impacts drilling could have on the recreational activities they love. 

Fishermen are gearing up and hunters are taking aim — for Marcellus Shale gas drilling.

A new coalition of outdoors groups is emerging as a potent force in the debate over natural gas drilling. The Sportsmen Alliance for Marcellus Conservation isn't against the process of fracking for gas, but its members want to make sure the rush to cash in on the valuable resource doesn't damage streams, forests, and the various creatures that call those places home.

The natural gas drilling industry has arrived full force into the Marcellus Shale region, sparking debate among environmentalists and economists. Recently, a growing number of sportsmen and women have joined the conversation, raising concerns about the impacts on hunting, fishing, trapping and other outdoor sporting activities. In an effort to strengthen the voice of sportsmen and women, Trout Unlimited and Theodore Gordon Flyfishers in New York formed the Sportsmen Alliance for Marcellus Conservation.

A prized recreational resource, the Delaware provides drinking water for 15 million people in three states. It also plays a critical role in the local economy by supporting many recreational-related jobs in the region.

The federal government should conduct a full environmental review that weighs potential damage to the welfare of people in the Delaware River watershed and the drinking water quality for millions of New Yorkers before allowing natural gas drilling in the region, the state's attorney general said in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.

A rally was held at Valley Forge National Historical Park on Saturday to address the issue of a drilling tax in the Marcellus Shale natural gas reserve.

Organized by State Sen. Andy Dinniman (D-19th), the purpose of the event was not to protest fracking, said Sen. Dinniman, but to demand an adequate drilling tax law be passed to fund education, environmental needs and local infrastructure.

With 10 million acres of public and private land leased for natural gas development in Pennsylvania, it is imperative to protect the remaining tracts of state forest land that has not been leased, Nels Johnson, of the Nature Conservancy's Harrisburg office, said Wednesday.

Groups urge residents to have wells tested

We welcome the Cambria County Conservation District’s increased focus on Marcellus Shale drilling.

Fracking got you down? Take heart -- TU is on the job.