Citizens Commission Final Report

Pennsylvanians believe that gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale has moved too quickly and that public officials need to do a better job protecting their communities and the environment, according to the final report of the Citizens Marcellus Shale Commission.

The report is the culmination of a two-month effort to give citizens a voice on improving drilling policies and protections. The recommendations made by the Governor’s Marcellus Advisory Commission were a first step but did not recognize how severely inadequate Pennsylvania’s regulatory landscape is for shale drilling. The Citizens Commission recommendations would further protect the environment and local communities.

View the full report             View a press release

At hearings across the state, citizens testified to a variety of concerns, but many common themes emerged. Chief among them, citizens take their right to clean air and water very seriously. Again and again, citizens invoked the state constitution’s guarantee to clean air, pure water and environmental preservation, and voiced serious concerns that Pennsylvania wasn’t prepared to responsibly address the impacts of gas drilling.

The Commission heard from 116 testifiers at hearings in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Southwestern Pennsylvania, Towanda and Williamsport. More than 400 people from 48 counties attended the hearings, while another 110 concerned citizens submitted comments online.