Ground was broken Tuesday afternoon for a Natural Gas Park that will serve the needs of an energy source for the next century.
In the evening, Williamsport City Council approved a land development plan for a new gas industry tenant at 240 Arch St. with the potential for 200 to 250 jobs.
It's easy to criticize the burgeoning natural gas drilling industry presence in our region, given the legitimate environmental concerns.
And that makes it easy to devalue the economic development that is at hand.
But John Moran, president of Moran Industries, had the correct historical perspective at the ground breaking for his firm's Natural Gas Park at the former site of the Kennedy-King Manor apartments. Moran correctly described the economic potential of the industry as something unlike anything in the region since the lumber era.
The lay-down yard and two rail-served buildings one a 50,000-square-foot structure and the other 31,000 square feet are meant to facilitate a 100-year supply of natural gas between New York State and West Virginia.
And that's why there are land development plans such as that of Don Lundy on Arch Street springing up like mushrooms.
So it's fine that the state Department of Environmental Protection is gaining approvals for stricter regulations regarding wastewater from gas industry drilling. We need firm, fair, strict enforcement of environmental laws regarding this industry.
But all this must be done with an end goal of making it possible for the industry to thrive in our region while protecting our beautiful land.
These opportunities for our region, its families and its economic profile come along once in a lifetime.
There's nothing improper about working with this industry while safeguarding our region's environment.
