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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Mike Hanna |
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Hanna appointed to natural gas task force
HARRISBURG, March 4 – State Rep. Mike Hanna, D-Clinton/Centre, chairman of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, announced today that he has been appointed as an ex-officio member of the Centre County Natural Gas Task Force.
"I appreciate the invite and very much look forward to participating in the efforts of this important task force," Hanna said. "I applaud the members of the Centre County Natural Gas Task Force for including state legislators like myself in their efforts.
"The development of natural gas in Centre County poses both economic development opportunity and asset management challenges. The state has overriding regulatory control over the usage of land for the extraction of natural gas, and it is important for me to get local input on the subject as my fellow legislators and I continue to debate the most important issues, including regulation and taxation of this natural resource," he said.
Hanna said the task force recently compiled and released a Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling Industry Update for Centre County, which includes an activity report for 2009 and an outlook for 2010. The task force will also identify key issues, research facts, collect information, and provide public education related to gas drilling in the county.
The Marcellus Shale layer covers 54 of Pennsylvania's counties, or approximately two-thirds of the state, as well as portions of New York and West Virginia, at a depth of 5,000 to 8,000 feet. It is believed to hold trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, an estimated economic value of $1 trillion. Hanna said recent advances in drilling technology and rising natural gas prices have attracted new interest in this previously untapped resource.
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