Overview

The Marcellus Shale is a black shale formation located beneath parts of West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Although geologists have known about the presence of gas in the Marcellus Shale for many years, improvements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have only recently made recovering that gas economically viable.

It is estimated that the Marcellus Shale contains between 168 and 516 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, making the Marcellus Shale one of the largest gas reserves in the world. In addition, the Marcellus Shale is found in close proximity to high demand gas markets. Thus, the presence of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale in New York offers potential opportunities, as well as challenges, for gas companies, landowners, municipalities and our economy.

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