Marcellus Shale and Pennsylvania

Here is what little I know about marcellus shale at this moment. I promise to learn more and to keep readers informed.
Black marcellus shale underlies possibly two-thirds to three-fourths of Pennsylvania. It is laden with natural gas which formerly was regarded as too tough to extract. Unfortunately, times have changed, and new extraction methods have evolved, which could have the effect of transforming much of the state into a wasteland criss-crossed by poisoned streams.
Does it all seem worth the sacrifice, because of what seems our insatiable demand for energy? Well, maybe. But...
What is rapidly becoming the scarcest resource on earth? Not natural gas, not petroleum, not coal, but---WATER. And in a way, despite Pennsylvania's long association with anthracite and bituminous coal, the state's real wealth has been--water.
We have never recognized that, never really needed to. Lakes and rivers, creeks and springs, have been part of our lives.
How, though, if the tap runs dry, and we find ourselves just one more evolving desert in a parched world?
Think about it.