It would also be nice if we can keep the gas companies from killing the residents by poisoning their drinking water.

Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of unnecessary taxation, but since you brought it up, I thought I'd take the opportunity to point out that that's never happened, at least not according to Scott Perry (no relation), director of the state DEP's Bureau of Oil & Gas Management:

"[T]here's never been any evidence of fracking ever causing direct contamination of fresh groundwater in Pennsylvania or anywhere else..."

Scott Perry, Director, Bureau of Oil & Gas Management, PA DEP
(written statement to Vanity Fair)

I, for one, am glad to see that the state DEP is taking positive steps to ensure the safety of the environment.  As a resident of Pennsylvania, this affects me and my family as well.  I want clean, safe water to drink as much as the next guy.  Hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") technology has been around since at least the 1940s, and is a safe, proven method of harvesting natural gas.  You do make a good point about outsiders coming in to do this work, and that more or less dove-tails with my statement in a recent blog post on the subject:

In my view, regulation and oversight is best handled by the state authorities, who are closer to the concerns of the citizens and are therefore in a better position to respond to any issues that may arise.

I think I'd rather see any regulation of the industry come from Harrisburg rather than DC, as has been proposed by Senator Bobby Casey (D-PA).

I talk to landmen, attorneys and landowners all over this part of the state, and am of the opinion that most of the anti-drilling protests I've seen are coming from outsiders or from disgruntled residents who don't have a dog in this fight (i.e., don't own their oil & gas rights and are jealous because their neighbors are cashing in).  True, you get a few of the "true believers" who buy into the propaganda (such as  "Gasland", an industry hit piece masquerading as a documentary), but by and large, the pros outweigh the cons, IMHO.

Regards,
Scott Perry