August 20th, 2013 by WCBC Radio
Marcellus Shale natural gas production is rising even faster this year than energy experts had predicted, and that's having a national impact on energy. Bentek, a Colorado company that analyzes energy trends, said 2013 production in Pennsylvania and West Virginia is up about 50 percent compared with last year. The official mid-2013 production figures for Pennsylvania and West Virginia haven't been released yet by those states, but Bentek's figures are considered very reliable by government and industry sources. Which each such report, elected officials in western Maryland bristle and grow more and more frustrated feeling the economically distressed region is being left behind because of what they view as environmental extremists in state government. Allegany County Commissioner Bill Valentine, a member of a governor appointed committee studying the impacts of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, says that millions of dollar has been lost to the region already. No drilling can take place until the commission’s final report is issued- and that may not happen for another year….
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