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The FarmerDonald Roessler earns royalties for the natural gas produced from the shale beneath his farm in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. The leaseholder is happy with the operations, which allow him to grow crops right by the well site. "There's a lot of gas under us, and we might be looking at someday where we're all driving our cars running on natural gas," he says. To hear Roessler in his own words, click on "Play Video" above. Read: "Natural Gas Stirs Hope and Fear in Pennsylvania."

Photograph by Scott Goldsmith, National Geographic

Faces of the Gas Rush

From farmer to supply shop owner, from scientist to job seeker, each Pennsylvanian has a separate view of the natural gas boom that has hit the state.

October 22, 2010