The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that “by good luck and geology, the web of water infrastructure that treats and transfers drainage from Consol Energy’s coal mines in southwestern Pennsylvania runs through rich acreage used by companies drilling for gas in the Marcellus and Utica shales.”  

“A gas producer, like Consol, in need of a plentiful water source to frack its wells can tap into one of the Cecil-based energy company’s existing lines and use treated mine water to displace some of the fresh water it would otherwise draw from rivers or public supplies.”  

“A bill signed by Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday will make it easier to turn wastewater from one type of fossil fuel extraction into a resource for another.”