PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pennsylvania has begun a one-year air quality study in a region with heavy Marcellus Shale natural gas activity.
The Department of Environmental Protection says in a release Monday that the study will focus on areas with gas processing plants and compressor stations in Washington County, about 25 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.
The study will monitor the air for ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, methane, and 60 other pollutants.
DEP says they'll conduct a long-term analysis of risk to the public to help determine if studies are needed in other parts of the state.
MarkWest Energy Partners L.P. spokesman Robert McHale says the company supports the study and believes regulations should be based on science and fact-based data.
MarkWest is based in Washington County.
