Pennsylvania Poised to Become Energy Giant

A recently released Penn State study indicates that within the next decade the Keystone State could supply 25 percent of the nation’s natural gas.

“Our estimates suggest that in 2020 the Marcellus industry in Pennsylvania could be creating more than $20 billion in value added, generating $2 billion in state and local tax revenues, and supporting more than 250,000 jobs,” said the authors associated with Penn State’s department of energy and mineral engineering.

Thanks to the abundance of natural gas in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale, the state is now self-sufficient with regard to its natural gas supplies. In the near future, it is forecast to become a major supplier of natural gas and liquids to consumers in other states.

The study is the third in a series of reports documenting the development of the Marcellus Shale and its economic impacts on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It was written by Timothy J. Considine, a former Penn State professor who is now director of the Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy at the University of Wyoming; Robert W. Watson, a Penn State petroleum engineer; and Seth Blumsack, a Penn State energy economist.

Download the entire report HERE.