Outcry, outrage grip citizens at Marcellus hearing

Scientists, community leaders and concerned residents were united Wednesday in their displeasure, frustration and, in many cases, anger over drilling for natural gas in the region.
People such as Dan Alters, a retired state Department of Environmental Protection official, noted the understaffing of that agency and its inability to properly regulate the industry.
He noted the degradation of forest lands and high quality streams such as Pine Creek for gas operations.
"It saddens me that some of the environmental progress made during my career will be lost," he said.
Alters was among the more than dozen people who spoke during the Citizens Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission hearing at Lycoming College.
The chorus of voices speaking out against drilling in the Marcellus Shale included Bob Myers, director of environmental studies at Lock Haven University, who listed some of the accidents around the state caused by drilling operations.
"Spills have been commonplace in Pennsylvania," he said. "Responsible drilling is a myth."....READ MORE