As women living in the Marcellus Shale region of the United States, it is important to understand what natural gas means to our families. Having seen the film Women of the Marcellus, I decided to look into what it is like to try to raise a family in an economically deprived area with an abundant natural resource under our feet.

Raising a family isn’t easy. Between picking the perfect school systems, to making sure kids have what they need as far as food and clothing, being a parent is certainly tough work. People living in upstate New York face an even more difficult task because the economy is depressed — very depressed, in fact — and the cost of living, especially taxes, is high. It’s a cliche, but true, that parents always want to give their kids everything they can and more than they have.

Parents in upstate New York face a unique situation, though. They have an economy virtually demanding children leave the area to prosper, yet parents could give their family nearly everything it needs by just harvesting the natural gas under their land. Governor Cuomo, unfortunately, seems determined to play Rhett Butler (look it up if you’re my age) and, frankly, doesn’t care.

http://eidmarcellus.org/marcellus-shale/natural-gas-and-the-new-yor...