Majority in Pa. support gas drilling, survey finds

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

A significant majority of people in Pennsylvania support the boom in Marcellus Shale natural-gas drilling, according to a new poll released Thursday, but many also have concerns about its environmental impacts.

The Franklin & Marshall College poll found that 64 percent of respondents somewhat or strongly favor the gas-drilling industry, compared with 27 percent who somewhat or strongly oppose it. But 37 percent also felt that potential environmental risks could outweigh the economic benefits of drilling, and 68 percent somewhat or strongly oppose drilling in state-owned forests.

Poll director G. Terry Madonna said what struck him most about the results is “the stability in the response over the last couple of years.”

“There’s a consistent narrative,” Madonna said. “The voters of the state say, yep, we like the natural-gas folks, but we want it done environmentally safely.”