Mercer County Hotels Wait For Drillers

Scott Detrow

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Scott Detrow is a congressional correspondent for NPR. He also co-hosts the NPR Politics Podcast.

Detrow joined NPR in 2015 to cover the presidential election. He focused on the Republican side of the 2016 race, spending time on the campaign trail with Donald Trump, and also reported on the election's technology and data angles.

Detrow worked as a statehouse reporter for member stations WITF in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and KQED in San Francisco, California. He has also covered energy policy for NPR's StateImpact project, where his reports on Pennsylvania's hydraulic fracturing boom won a DuPont-Columbia and national Edward R. Murrow Award in 2013.

June 26, 2012 | 3:14 PM

Scott Detrow / StateImpact Pennsylvania

Natural gas drillers' trucks crowd a Williamsport hotel parking lot

There hasn’t been any drilling yet in Mercer County, which sits on top of the Utica Shale, rather than the Marcellus.
But wells are expected to be drilled beginning next year. Hoteliers there have heard all about the Marcellus boom’s impact on the lodging industry, and are looking forward to increased business.
More from the Sharon Herald:

The hoteliers operating on the Shenango Township-Hermitage border at the intersection of Interstate 376 and state Route 18 are excited about it.
“It’s going to be a big-time benefit for everyone,” said Nitin Patel, who owns both the Red Roof Inn and Econolodge in Hermitage.
About 12 rooms have been booked so far in connection with the industry, Patel said.
There are 60 rooms at the Red Roof location and 30 at the Econolodge.
“We’re looking forward to it,” said Debbie Corwin, front office manager for the Quality Inn and Suites location adjacent to the Red Roof Inn.
They have 124 rooms, she said and “hopefully we get some in here.”