(StateImpact Pennsylvania) Saudi Arabia and Russia are in the midst of a price war against one another that is also meant to hurt American oil companies, and analysts say it could hurt American shale companies that produce oil.
But it might not actually hurt the shale gas industry in Pennsylvania, according to one analyst. That's because the companies that drill for oil in places like Texas and North Dakota also extract natural gas - mostly as a byproduct - and if they stop drilling for oil, their natural gas output will fall, too.
"The ramifications of that is ... oil production will start to decline. The associated gas that comes with it will start to decline" too, said Sam Andrus, executive director of North American natural gas, for the IHS Markit.
That could increase demand from the gas-rich Utica and Marcellus shale region in Pennsylvania, said Anne Robba, head of Americas gas & power for S&P Global Platts.
"If we do lose that kind of (natural gas) volume from crude producers, (the market) is going to turn to Marcellus producers in Pennsylvania to make up" for the loss in production, Robba said. "Because they're able to ramp up volumes fairly quickly to meet demand."
Prices for natural gas, at some of their lowest levels since the 1970s, have actually increased this week, by about 10 percent since Monday, Robba said.
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Recent local and national developments in the efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus have forced the association to postpone this spring's conference, which was scheduled for April 1 at Rivers Casino, Pittsburgh. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended over the weekend that gatherings of more than 50 people be cancelled, and the City of Pittsburgh followed by announcing this morning that such gatherings are banned, with no mention of an end date. As you may also know, Gov. Tom Wolf has announced a halt to dine-in service at restaurants and bars in Allegheny County, and the county is encouraging non-essential businesses to close. These announcements leave us with no choice but to postpone the conference.
The following comes from the 
