— There will be no greater issue in Pennsylvania – and here in our region – in 2011 than the expansion of Marcellus Shale gas drilling.

Cambria and Somerset counties have seen considerably less activity related to Marcellus than have other areas such as the northeastern and southwestern corners of the state.

But our time is coming.

We’ve written tons of stories on Marcellus Shale in recent years, from quick updates to in-depth series. But much is changing and considerable activity is on our horizon.

That’s why, over the next five days, we’ll strive to answer every critical question you might have about this burgeoning industry – which some say will be the biggest single economic story in this state in the first half of the new century.

As reporter Kathy Mellott writes in our front-page report today, Marcellus Shale holds one of the world’s largest natural gas deposits   – potentially enough fuel to meet our country’s needs for 200 years.

Marcellus could help us move away from dependence on foreign oil, and will generate thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania – indeed, it already is doing just that.

“Marcellus Shale has the potential of being the single largest impact of anything we will encounter in our lifetime,” Larry Michael, executive director of Penn College in Williamsport, says in today’s report.

That impact could be largely positive or potentially negative.

We’ll tell you how.

And 2011 will be the year the gas drilling industry moves into “boom” stage in Pennsylvania.

Technology developed recently at Penn State now allows drilling companies to reach the gas tucked inside a shale bed as much as two miles beneath the surface.

For several years, gas companies have been lining up property leases across our region and preparing to go after that fuel resource.

Now, several gas wells dot the Cambria-Somerset landscape, and many more are on the way.

The industry will create jobs in drilling and extraction, trucking and water treatment, gas line construction and maintenance, and in producing the materials for all of these needs.

When new leadership takes over in Harrisburg in January, we will see a return to a more business-friendly approach under Gov.-elect Tom Corbett and other officials.

To prepare you for the Marcellus surge that is coming, we’ll try to answer these critical questions:

* What jobs are on the way, and what training or educational requirements will they bring?

* What environmental risks truly exist, and what is being done to protect us against them?

* What chemicals are used in the “fracking” gas extraction process, and should we be concerned?

* How many gas wells might there be in Cambria and Somerset counties, and where?

* What has been happening in other areas of the state, and what do those developments mean for us here?

* Are local companies ready for the opportunities Marcellus will bring?

We think you need to know these things.

As Penn State geologist Michael Arthur said: “Public discourse is good.”

We are convinced there is no single greater issue in the coming year than the impact we’ll all see from Marcellus Shale gas.

And we think the more information you have, the better equipped you will be to respond and possibly ask additional questions.

We hope you read every word of “Drilling Down” – our Marcellus series that will run through Thursday.

Beginning in earnest in 2011, thanks largely to the boom of Marcellus Shale gas, Pennsylvania will become a very different place.