Two States, Two Energy Futures

Standing along the Pennsylvania-New York border, it’s easy to forget that beneath both states lies the Marcellus Shale, one of the largest natural gas formations in the United States.

Yet despite sharing the same geology, the two states made very different choices.

Pennsylvania embraced hydraulic fracturing, opening the door to billions of dollars in private investment, thousands of jobs and a thriving natural gas industry that has transformed many rural communities.

Hotels, restaurants, equipment suppliers, trucking companies and local businesses have all benefited from the economic activity generated by energy development. Landowners have received royalty payments, local governments have collected impact fees and the industry has become a major contributor to the state’s economy.

Just across the border, New York chose a different path, banning high-volume hydraulic fracturing and leaving those natural gas reserves untouched.

Was one state right and the other wrong? That depends on who you ask.

Over the coming days, the South Shore Press will report from both sides of the border to explore the real-world results of these two very different approaches.

We’ll visit active drilling sites in Pennsylvania, speak with residents, business owners, local officials and industry representatives, and examine how natural gas development has reshaped communities throughout the Northern Tier. We’ll also cross into New York to explore how neighboring communities have fared without tapping into the same underground resource.

We’ll focus on what can be seen firsthand: the businesses that have opened, the infrastructure that has been built, the jobs that have been created and the communities that have evolved. We’ll also examine the economic opportunities New York may have forgone, along with the reasons state leaders chose a different course.

Finally, we’ll look at the region’s impact on the nation’s energy policy, how the U.S. has become energy independent and is no longer reliant on places such as the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz.

Two neighboring states. One shared natural resource. Two very different decisions whose impact can still be felt worldwide and just a few miles apart along the Pennsylvania-New York border.