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A majority of Pennsylvania voters say they have a favorable view of the natural gas industry, but also want drilling to be done safely.

(Donald Gilliland | dgilliland@pennlive.com)

A Franklin & Marshall public opinion poll released today shows 64 percent of Pennsylvanians have a favorable view of the natural gas industry, but opinion is split on whether or not the economic benefits outweigh potential environmental damage, with 40 percent saying they do, 37 percent saying they don't and 22 percent unsure.

G. Terry Madonna, who conducted the poll, said the survey of registered Pennsylvania voters shows a clear narrative: "They have a favorable view of the natural gas industry, and they understand its importance to the economy, but having said that… they also want to be sure it's done in an environmentally safe way.

Significantly, Madonna said, the poll also shows more than two-thirds of voters - 68 percent - oppose opening more state forest land to drilling.

The poll also showed an even larger percentage of voters - 71 percent - said taxes on drilling should be shared by the state and local communities.

The results of the poll, conducted Jan. 22 through Jan. 27, changed little since the same questions were asked more than two years ago, in August 2011. Although there were small shifts, none were outside the poll's margin of error.

Madonna said that's interesting.

"After this long debate we've had about drilling, the basic views have not changed very much," he said.

Neither the pro-drilling nor the anti-drilling factions seem to have gained any traction with voters in the last two years.

What's more, Madonna said, both sides can declare victory from the poll results: the gas industry saying "people want drilling," and the environmentalists responding "but they want it done safely."

"It's an interesting equilibrium with these groups holding on to the same support base they had before," said Madonna.

Part of that, he conjectured, is because the majority of the drilling is happening "in the more remote areas of the state - it's not something most voters have a daily or even frequent contact with."

And it's unlikely to change unless there is some big pollution event, he said: "It's not like there haven't been things that have happened, but they have not been to the degree that has ratcheted up concern."