“Clean water is not unlimited; must be protected” and natural gas drilling jeopardizes our clean water! The development of our energy resources cannot come at the expense of our environmental resources: our water, our land and our ecosystems. Therefore, as a Pennsylvania resident, I take a stand against natural gas drilling hoping to protect our environmental resources and wildlife. Natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania has become a topic of popular controversy in recent years. The reason this topic is so controversial to a Pennsylvania resident is because of the impact it has on our environment. Natural gas drilling companies are rushing to the state of Pennsylvania seeking to drill areas containing Marcellus Shale, a deep geologic formation found in the sixty-fifth century. three percent of Pennsylvania, where natural gas occurs naturally within rock. Geologists have long known that the Marcellus Shale contained a large reserve of natural gas, estimated at 2.8 trillion cubic feet (“Marcellus Shale”). Until recently, it was not cost-effective to drill for natural gas, as drilling a well more than a mile deep and blasting this type of shale was inefficient and unprofitable. However, two types of technology have emerged: horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Gas drilling companies aim to make huge profits using this new combination of technology, which includes the use of cancer-causing chemicals and millions of liters of water. In 2006, Pennsylvania natural gas producers drilled approximately 3,900 new wells in the state, and in 2010 another 4,000 new wells, more than in any other state except Texas (Kenworthy). With these new extraction techniques and methods along with higher energy prices, d...... middle of paper...... Marcellus Shale Map - Natural Gas Field PA." Oil Shale - NaturalGas - Industry News oil and natural gas discovery 2008. Web. March 26, 2011. Sapien, Joaquin. "With natural gas drilling boom, Pennsylvania faces wastewater onslaught." Ecological Risks of Natural Gas Drilling." Drilling for natural gas jeopardizes clean water. "Rodale News. November 8, 2009. Web. March 25. 2011.