Shale gas fueled a boom in the drilling industry and has provided cheaper fuel, displacing dirtier coal to generate electricity. It’s also feeding a spinoff industry in chemicals. Shell’s multi-billion-dollar petrochemical plant in western Pennsylvania began operations in 2022, turning natural gas into the building blocks of plastic.
We’ve been covering this transformation to learn what it means for our region in terms of jobs, economic development and impacts to air, water quality and health.
