The phrase "game changer" is tossed around quite a bit, but when it comes to the Marcellus shale, it serves as a very apt description of the play's influence on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

"The Marcellus is having a profound effect on Pennsylvania and, indeed, on the economy of our nation," Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley, said during his keynote speech at Hart Energy's third annual Marcellus Midstream conference in Pittsburgh.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the play has been responsible for the creation of 123,000 new jobs since 2009 with two-thirds of these jobs going to Pennsylvanians at an average salary of $77,000. Not only do such jobs lower unemployment rates and economically benefit the state, but such job creation is one of the best ways to protect the public's health, safety and welfare, according to Cawley.

"The Marcellus is fuelling economic opportunity and creating good-paying jobs all over this state and region. The opportunities aren't just at drill sites and the value of the Marcellus isn't just being felt at drill sites. The Marcellus is having an effect throughout Pennsylvania, miles away from any gas producing areas. It's revitalized the main streets in downtowns and provided opportunities for more and more companies to do business with producers," he said.

This job growth has occurred as Pennsylvania has maintained best practices and an exemplary safety record, which was further strengthened with a comprehensive update of the state's oil and gas act for the first time in 30 years, he said. This update, called Act 13 of 2012, was put into law on Feb. 14 and was based on input from the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, which included members from the oil and gas industry, along with environmentalists, academics and politicians.

The legislation could generate an additional $180 million for environmental protection of lands, training of emergency responders, as well as the repairing of bridges and roads through drilling impact fees. Such fees would be in addition to the large economic benefit that producers have provided the state through taxes. Cawley said that, since 2006, the Marcellus shale has been responsible for $1.6 billion in taxes paid to the general fund.

"There are those out there that say this industry does not pay taxes. Wrong answer! Just in 2011 alone, this industry was responsible for $419 million in taxes. That money is going into schools, roads, and parks all across this state," he said.

Cawley noted that Marcellus shale production is helping to drive down energy costs in Pennsylvania as natural gas prices have dropped by nearly 13%, and these prices have lowered electric utility prices. According to a recent Penn State study, Pennsylvanians spent $633 million less on energy in 2010 than in other parts of the country, primarily due to the Marcellus shale.

Act 13 also provides incentives for end-uses of natural gas, such as construction of natural gas fueling stations every 50 miles along the state's highways and the conversion of fleets to natural gas. Governor Corbett also recently secured an initial victory in getting a world-scale ethylene plant built in the state when Shell Chemical Corp. signed a land option to build a $2.5 billion plant in Monaca in March.

"While we are excited by that announcement, we know it's a long way until there is a shovel in the ground and that there are still many hurdles that we have to overcome. We know that we will have to continue to work hard in order to make sure that that petrochemical complex comes to Pennsylvania," Cawley said.

While Pennsylvania and its citizens are benefitting from the increased use of natural gas, the rest of the country must follow suit, Cawley said. "We can no longer, from an energy consumption perspective, continue on the road we're on. We've got to promote energy independence in this nation. It is equally important to not just drill for the gas, but to use the gas. Pennsylvania can be a keystone for ending our dependence on foreign oil," he added.