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The Marcellus Shale Commission held its final public meeting on Friday, July 15, to discuss a list of 96 recommendations that will be submitted to Gov. Tom Corbett and released to the general public on Friday, July 22.

PA Chamber Vice President Gene Barr was appointed by Corbett to serve on the commission – a panel of industry leaders, business professionals and environmental stewards led by Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley. Over a four month period, the appointees participated in numerous discussions and heard from a variety of experts about the industry’s best options for growing Pennsylvania’s economy, creating jobs and protecting the environment.  

Barr represented the opinions of the business community as vice chairman of the Economic Development and Workforce Committee, which put forth 26 recommendations in the commission’s final report focusing on marketing, workforce development and geological considerations. The suggestions focus on expanding training programs and linking unemployed Pennsylvanians to the Marcellus Shale industry; modernizing statutes, particularly the Oil and Gas Conservation Law, to apply to natural gas drilling; developing infrastructure to use natural gas as a fuel for vehicles and mass transit; the construction of an in-state pipeline system to control the flow of gas and avoid the costs of interstate pipelines; and the expansion of the rail system to maximize shale development.

Other commission recommendations relate to matters of environmental protection, pipeline safety standards, public health, conservation, transportation infrastructure, and the health of ecosystems.

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The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry is the state’s largest broad-based business association, with thousands of statewide members representing businesses of all sizes and all industry sectors. The PA Chamber is The Statewide Voice of Business™. More information is available on the Chamber’s website at www.pachamber.org.