Exploration, drilling, and production activities associated with oil and gas wells are extremely"transportation intensive." Large numbers of vehicles are needed to transport equipment and othersupplies to the drilling site.

Many rural roads near park areas overlying and near the Marcellus Shale occurrence will not meet standards necessary for large trucks that will be used to haul equipment, water, and other supplies to and from drill pad sites. These roads will need to be upgraded through widening, and surfacing; and road curve angles may need to be reduced. If roads are not surfaced or watered regularly, air quality may be degraded by truck traffic related dust, and area residents and park visitors may be subjected to traffic hazards. Solitude in the area will be interrupted by the large amount of truck traffic.

Oil and gas specialists in the Geologic Resources Division estimate that the "average" oil and gas well requires 320 to 1,365 truckloads of equipment to bring a well into production. While the following information provides wide-ranging estimates, it is still helpful to understand the large amount of truck traffic that will be associated with any oil or gas well.

Estimates by the National Park Service are as follows:

Drill Pad and Road Construction Equipment – 10 to 45 truckloads

Drilling Rig – 30 truckloads

Drilling Fluid and Materials – 25 to 50 truckloads

Drilling Equipment (casing, drill pipe, etc.) 25 to 50 truckloads

Completion Rig - 15 truckloads

Completion Fluid and Materials – 10 to 20 truckloads

Completion Equipment – (pipe, wellhead) 5 truckloads

Fracture Stimulation Fluids and Materials – 100 to 1000 truckloads

Fracture Stimulation Equipment (pump trucks, tanks) – 100 to 150 truckloads

Every 3 to 5 years – 25 to 40 truckloads

Numerous truck-mounted pumps and temporary storage tanks are needed on location to fracture-treat wells. Larger well locations may be needed if hydraulic fracturing is part of a well completion procedure. Refracturing wells after 3 or 4 years has proven effective in the Barnett Shale of Texas. If this practice extends to the Marcellus Shale, then truck traffic will have few lulls.