A ceremony and open house were held yesterday so state, county and local officials could view the drilling rig that was built in Texas and brought to Chest Township to drill in the Marcellus Shale. (Photo by Jane Elling)

Marcellus Shale is a large formation of shale rock that lies 1 1/2 miles underground.

The event was held on property along Punkin Ridge Road, state Route 3003, LaJose RD, in Chest Township.

The more than 75 people attending braved the rain and gathered under a large tent where a luncheon was hosted by Chief Oil and Gas of Dallas, Texas, followed by a statement by Bill Buckler, senior vice president of operations and engineering.

He said this was the second well in Clearfield County and 30th overall.

The newest drilling rig, the Patterson 251, is a first of its kind "big rig," in Appalachia and designed for drilling the Marcellus Shale. Mr. Buckler explained when the drilling is completed at that spot, the rig that was built and brought from Texas is not there permanently but can be broken down into 40 units and moved. One well takes about 30 days to drill. The company has three rigs under long-term contract, according to facts presented to the media.

He said this will bring jobs and opportunities and also revenues for the landowners "The Marcellus Shale is a huge, huge asset," he said.

He said there is a regional office of the company in Wexford, north of Pittsburgh, and field offices in Williamsport and Uniontown.

Wells have been drilled in Lycoming, Bradford, Fayette and Somerset counties in Pennsylvania, and there are also drilling locations planned in the coming months for Blair, Cambria, Bedford, Susque- hanna, Wyoming, Armstrong and Greene counties.

When asked why that spot was chosen, Kristi Gittins, a vice president for communications, said those decisions are made by engineers, businessmen and geologists.

It was noted the Chest Township property is owned by members of the Hutton family.

Mr. Buckler mentioned the second drilling they have done in Marcellus Shale in Clearfield County but did not identify the other location.

The drilling projects will assist the county and various local areas with trickledown business for contractors, stores and a range of other businesses.

The Clearfield County Commissioners, Joan Robinson McMillen, John Sobel and Mark McCracken, were present along with Rick Sollman, district representative for U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-5 of Howard. Mr. Buckler thanked a representative from the office of U.S Sen. Arlen Specter, R-PA, and state Department of Environmental Protection officials for attending.

Mrs. McMillen, during a private interview, said with the need in the county for skilled workers for the Marcellus Shale development the local schools need to be providing retraining and focus on science and mathematics for the specific education required.

Some information provided by the company was that Chief has more than 500,000 acres of lease hold in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and West Virginia and has more than 100 employees working on its development.

Chief Gathering, a subsidiary of Chief Oil and Gas, is building a pipeline infrastructure in multiple counties to move gas to market.