PA Modular Home Factories May Have to Shift Production

The Marcellus Shale is about to become the most productive natural gas field in the United States, according to new data from energy industry analysts and the federal government.

Though serious drilling only began five years ago, the sheer volume of Marcellus production suggests that in some ways there's no going back, even as New York debates whether to allow drilling in its portion of the shale, which also lies under large parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.

PA modular home factories may have to shift production from single family homes to man camps if NY opens their resources and PA and OH Marcellus Shale production begins to catch up with the north-central and southwestern states where man camp housing is booming.

In 2008, Marcellus production barely registered on national energy reports. In July, the combined output from Pennsylvania and West Virginia wells was about 7.4 billion cubic feet per day, according to Kyle Martinez, an analyst at Bentek Energy. That's more than double the 3.6 billion cubic feet from last April, and represents over 25 percent of national shale gas production.

That's neck-and-neck with production from the Haynesville region in Arkansas and Texas, but new drilling permits there have declined sharply.

The Powell Shale Digest, an industry newsletter based in Fort Worth, Texas, concluded that a recent report from the U.S. Energy Information Agency means "it is reasonable to assume" that the Marcellus has or will soon pass Haynesville as the top producer.

The Marcellus Shale is a gas-rich formation of rock thousands of feet below ground. Advances in drilling technology made the shale accessible, which led to a boom in production, jobs and profits, and a drop in natural gas prices for consumers. But there are also concerns about pollution and impacts to roads and other public services.