Today, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center during the Shale Gas Insight 2012 conference, the Southpointe-based Marcellus Sale Coalition announced the launch of Learn About Shale—a community conversation designed to answer questions submitted by the public during the organization’s Ask About Shale initiative.

Ask About Shale, during a three-month period, generated more than 600 questions through various community listening sessions, online submissions, post cards and telephone surveys on a range of topics, including the economic and environmental benefits of natural gas, and government’s role in the natural gas development process.

Learn About Shale aims to answer each straightforwardly, leveraging subject matter expertise from industry representatives, academic researchers, and other key stakeholders.

In addition to answering every question submitted to date, LearnAboutShale.org also allows the public to submit additional questions.

“Since its founding three years ago, the Marcellus Shale Coalition has strived to be a resource of fact-based information that fosters a constructive dialogue with a broad range of stakeholders,” said MSC President Kathryn Klaber. “We launched Ask About Shale in an effort to further that conversation and hear directly from southeastern Pennsylvanians. With 600 questions submitted over the past few months, we are now transitioning into the answering phase, further demonstrating our commitment to ensuring we get this historic opportunity right from the perspective of the people of Pennsylvania.”

The MSC will regularly provide answers to questions submitted through LearnAboutShale.org.

The site will serve as a clearinghouse where the general public and those interested in more information can view fact-based information, while also submitting new questions.

“Engaging the community on their terms and in a way they feel comfortable is our goal," Klaber added. "As questions are answered, we are committed to providing honest and straightforward information. That is our responsibility and that's what our community deserves."

Sample questions include:

• Why is Propane so freakin expensive?
• Can the industry take a day-in-the-life with process information, with simple graphs and charts?
• Why won't you disclose the hundreds of chemicals your pumping into the ground and back into our watershed here in PA?
• When comparing fuels, how does natural gas fare with respect to GHG emissions for: Transportation? Electricity? Heat?
• How and by whom is [natural gas] regulated?
• How many taxes they will pay for it and what are consumers (non-drillers) getting out of all of this?
• Why not invest in Wind and Solar Energy and leave Oil and Natural Gas's dirty practices to the Cavemen?
• How long will this go on?  What is the longevity of the opportunity?

What are your thoughts on this effort? Tell us in the comments!