Drillers Form Shale Coalition

Range Resources, Chief Oil & Gas, Chesapeake Energy and other companies drilling in the Marcellus Shale have agreed to formally establish the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) as an independent nonprofit organization. MSC joins the Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Association (POGAM) and the Independent Oil & Gas Producers of Pennsylvania (IOGA) as the third statewide association in Pennsylvania. The Marcellus Shale is a sedimentary rock formation that contains largely untapped natural gas reserves.

A spokesman for MSC said the other groups helped the companies get started in the Shale, and they would be part of the new organization. "We felt that the Shale is such a new and large development in the industry, it warranted another group," said Ben McCue, a government affairs specialist with Chief Oil & Gas.