Today, New York Governor David Patterson signed legislation that will allow natural gas companies to drill horizontal wells to tap the Marcellus Shale. These wells start at the surface as a vertical well then turn 90 degrees to horizontally through a thin rock unit – penetrating a greater distance of the gas-yielding rock. The immediate use of horizontal drilling will be in rock units such as the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale. More in an article at NewsDay.com.