Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell announced yesterday that the state will hire 68 more oil and gas inspectors this year to respond to the Marcellus Shale boom, a 54 percent increase in staff.

The new hires will allow the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to manage an expected threefold increase in applications to drill natural gas wells in the Marcellus, which lies under much of the state. The DEP expects gas operators to apply for 5,200 permits this year.

"The governor is committed to giving Pennsylvania a world-class regulatory program to ...