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Second Firm Seeks Md. Natural Gas Drill Permit

FRIENDSVILLE, Md. (AP) -- The Maryland Department of the Environment says a second firm has applied to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale geological formation underlying parts of far western Maryland.

A spokesman said Friday that Dallas-based Chief Oil & Gas LLC is seeking a permit for a well in the Friendsville area of Garrett County.

Samson Resources of Tulsa, Okla., has applied for drilling permits at four sites, but MDE says it's actively pursuing only one, in Garrett County, just south of Pocahontas, Pa.

The gas is obtained through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which has been blamed water contamination and reduced property values in parts of Pennsylvania.

MDE plans to discuss the permitting procedure at a meeting Thursday in Oakland.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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