What impact does the discovery of the Marcellus and Utica shales have on US energy policy overall?
Federally these discoveries have little impact on the US energy policy. This is mostly up to each state to decide on what they want to do. Currently, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia are at the heart of the eastern shale gas leasing and drilling boom, with tens of thousands of wells drilled and permits for thousands more already issued. In December 2014, New York announced it would prohibit high volume hydraulic fracturing in the state due to growing evidence of damage to the environment and human health. The process has also been on hold in Maryland due to public opposition and an in-depth review of risks and impacts; however, in November 2014 the state completed that work and issued regulations, signaling the possibility that drilling could move forward. In the meantime, gas production has expanded in Pennsylvania and Ohio—giving rise to plans for a network of new pipelines and compressor stations region-wide to get the gas to market, as well as increasing volumes of waste that must be managed and disposed of.
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