Aug 11, 2016 2 min read

CALIFORNIA – The Marcellus shale natural gas wells in Pennsylvania are the most productive in the United States, the acting secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection said Thursday.

“They are extraordinarily productive,” acting DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said during a meeting with the media in the department’s district mining office in California Borough.

The discussion followed a DEP report this month that showed drillers in the state produced a record amount of natural gas last year despite a downturn in the industry. The 2015 Oil and Gas Annual Report also noted that Washington and Greene counties had the most drilling permits last year, with a total of 686.

McDonnell said companies are becoming more efficient in their drilling operations. It took them two months of drilling to reach the Marcellus shale formation in 2008. Today that work can take just two or three weeks, he said.

The DEP is doing a better job of inspecting well sites than it did a few years ago, McDonnell said. However, the number of inspectors has declined because that work is entirely funded by drilling permit fees, which are also down.

“We’re seeing a significant decrease in the amount of money,” McDonnell said.

He said there also are fewer trucks related to Marcellus shale on the roads because of the reduction in drilling activity.

“We have been doing a good job on the inspections. We still see violations,” he added.

The price of natural gas, he said, is expected to increase in two or three years, he said.