Drilling slowdown affects Pennsylvania tourism revenue
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
The Marcellus shale industry’s slowdown is generating less revenue that was once used to promote tourism in Pennsylvania.
The Patriot-News reports that in Lycoming and Bradford counties, where drilling activity was once high, hotels and motels aren’t as full, so less money is made from the 3 percent hotel tax, which is used to fund tourism.
With as many as 30 percent of drilling companies gone from the state, the hotel tax revenue may not return to what it was during the shale gas boom, according to the source.
Read more: The Patriot-News > Marcellus drilling cutback reduces money available for tourist promotion
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.