Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley (R) announced Thursday that four working groups created by the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission will meet beginning on Monday (April 11).

“The goal of these work groups is to delve more deeply into the many issues surrounding the Marcellus Shale and the potential it holds for Pennsylvania,” Cawley said. “This work will play a key role in the final report we will present to Gov. [Tom] Corbett in July.”

All of the meetings are open to the public and are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. EDT in Room 105 of the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg, the state capital. The first group to meet, dubbed the Infrastructure Work Group, will meet Monday and is chaired by acting state Secretary of Transportation Barry Schoch. Chris Masciantonio, general manager of state government affairs for U.S. Steel, serves as vice chair of the group.

On Tuesday the Public Health, Safety and Environmental Protection Work Group will meet. It is chaired by acting state Secretary of Environmental Protection Mike Krancer. The vice chair is Cynthia Carrow, vice president of the Western PA Conservancy.

The Local Impact and Emergency Response Work Group, chaired by Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Glenn Cannon, will meet on Wednesday. Lycoming County Commissioner Jeff Wheeland serves as the group’s vice chair.

The final group, the Economic and Workforce Development Work Group, will meet Thursday. It is chaired by acting Secretary of Community and Economic Development Alan Walker. Gene Barr, vice president of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, serves as vice chair.

The Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, which has 30 members, was formed in March by Corbett and held its first meeting on March 25 (see Shale Daily, March 29; March 9). The commission will meet again on April 27.

The full committee memberships and meeting agendas will be posted online on the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission page of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection website.