The Board of Commissioners for the County of Lycoming and the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce has collaborated to form a Community Gas Exploration Task Force (CGETF). Since early 2008, a number of gas companies began to establish a major presence in Lycoming County to arrange leases with County landowners. Lycoming County is located astride a geologic formation known as the Marcellus Shale, which stretches across a large segment of northern and western Pennsylvania, continuing into several neighboring states. The purpose of the CGETF is to identify key issues, research facts and information, and review and propose public policy regarding the positive, economic impact of gas exploration of the Marcellus Shale in Lycoming County.