West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania have all been overwhelmed
by the rapid progress of natural gas exploitation, headed up by
companies like Chesapeake. These companies are rushing to
exploit the Utica and Marcellus shale formations which are
layers of rock located thousands of feet below the surface of
the earth and which are believed to contain hundreds of billions
(if not trillions) of cubic feet of valuable natural gas.
Nonetheless, the drilling activities are not without significant
costs to the ordinary consumers, farmers, and workers living
across Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The drilling rigs
have brought significant noise and disruption to residential
areas, as each drilling rig is a substantial construction
project in its own right. Once rigs are in operation, they can
make considerable noise, night and day, disturbing residents,
livestock and wildlife. The drilling rigs themselves are
serviced by an army of trucks, excavators, bulldozers and other
heavy equipment necessary to extract the