Natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation is the biggest thing to hit Pennsylvania in decades, and it can be hard to navigate exactly what it means to each consumer, property owner or business.
That’s why C. Arthur West IV saw a chance to create an online community focused on the natural gas deposit that lies under much of the Keystone State. In October he launched a website,
NaturalgasPA.com, as a place for information and discussion.
“It’s basically happening in everyone in Pennsylvania’s backyard,” says West, who graduated from Duquesne University last year with a degree in business and communication. “The most amazing thing to me is the amount of natural gas that’s underneath this state.”
His site’s features include job listings, news articles, a discussion forum and directories of lawyers, financial planners and energy companies. Users can submit content, but West mostly updates NaturalgasPA.com himself in addition to his job as a real estate title coordinator. Some posts on the site
are in favor of drilling and some are against West says he aims for a 50/50 balance.
“We’re certainly not for or against the industry,” he says.
NaturalgasPA.com has developed a strong following in just a few months. It has about 200 members and draws between 5,000 and 10,000 people per month. West has also been a guest on “Natural Gas Matters,” a weekly show on Pittsburgh radio station FM NewsTalk 104.7.
Source: C. Arthur West IV, NaturalgasPA.com
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen