The Marcellus Shale natural gas boom in Pennsylvania has brought both negative and positive attention from drilling companies, media outlets, environmental protection agencies, politicians, and most importantly, concerned citizens.

It is imperative to stay well informed. The following websites provide thorough and up-to-date information regarding various aspects of natural gas drilling:

The Times Leader, which covers news from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to surrounding areas, publishes stories daily concerning natural gas drilling. The Marcellus Shale section can be accessed here. Additionally, they have compiled a database of natural gas drilling leases, which can be found here.

The Times Tribune covers breaking news from the greater Scranton area. Here you can find the most recent articles and news items concerning natural gas drilling. Also provided are two collections of stories. The first, entitled the “Deep Pockets Series” dates back to 2008 and the second, the “Deep Impact Series” covers 2010. The “Gas Drilling Editorials” section provides both editorials and comments from readers that have been published pertaining to Marcellus Shale exploration.

The Times Tribune’s database contains natural gas leases from the following counties:

• Lackawanna;
• Luzerne;
• Wayne; &
• Wyoming.

Search the natural gas lease database here.

In addition, the Times Tribune provides a database to search for various violations issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. This user friendly database allows you to search by choosing from:

• 37 gas companies;
• Nearly 50 municipalities, From Banks to Wayne;
• 13 counties; &
• 9 types of violations, including frack fluid spills, blowouts, and wastewater spills.

Visit the database here.