Research Reports

This research examined changes in population size as well as age and gender composition in four study
counties across two regions: Greene and Washington in southwestern Pennsylvania, and Bradford and
Lycoming in north central Pennsylvania. These counties have experienced some of the highest Marcellus
Shale unconventional natural gas development in terms of the number of wells drilled.

Marcellus Shale development brings gas company workers, subcontractors and workers in related areas (e.g., pipeline or other construction) to the locations in which natural gas exploration and drilling occur. An immediate issue is where to house these workers. This research examined housing stock and change in housing stock, rental and vacancy rates, housing costs, and housing affordability in the four study counties of Bradford, Lycoming, Washington, and Greene within a regional and statewide context. The research used secondary data from the U.S. Census of Population and Housing (2000) and the American Community Survey (ACS 3-year estimates, 2005/07 and 2009/11). The research also used qualitative data from focus groups with individuals knowledgeable about housing in the study counties.

This research used data from two focus groups of local government officials, one group in the southwest region of Pennsylvania and one group in the northern tier region of Pennsylvania, to identify how Marcellus shale development is affecting municipal governments in Pennsylvania.

This research looked to provide an unbiased and large-scale study of water quality in private water wells in rural Pennsylvania before and after the drilling of nearby Marcellus Shale gas wells. It also looked to document both the enforcement of existing regulations and the use of voluntary measures by homeowners to protect water supplies. For the study, the researchers evaluated water sampled from 233 water wells in proximity to Marcellus gas wells
in rural regions of Pennsylvania in 2010 and 2011.