FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	September 24, 2013

For further information:

Bill Hall/Executive Director

Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center (SGICC)

814-863-4881/ billhall@psu.edu

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY AWARD ANNOUNCED AT SHALE INSIGHT 2013™

STATE COLLEGE, PA – Ben Franklin’s Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center (www.sgicc.org) announced their first annual Shale Gas Environmental, Health, & Safety Award today at the SHALE INSIGHT 2013™ Technology Showcase. The Technology Showcase, sponsored by the Sumitomo Corporation of America, is the highlight of the Marcellus Shale Coalition’s SHALE INSIGHT 2013™ Pre-Conference Workshop and Conference.

At the Technology Showcase, twelve suppliers of emerging technologies in the shale gas industry were chosen to present their innovations to the natural gas community. Participants were chosen based on a variety of criteria including readiness for field testing of their technology.

Following the Technology Showcase, the Shale Gas Environmental, Health, & Safety (EH&S) Award was presented to HalenHardy, LCC. Bill Hall, Executive Director of SGICC commented, “It is paramount to the success of the shale gas industry that they operate in an environmentally responsible, safe manner, which gains the trust and respect of the average citizen, as well as the workers they employ and the communities in which they operate. Ben Franklin’s Shale Gas Innovation and Commercialization Center is proud to make the announcement of this first annual award as a part of this conference.”

Donnie Beaver the Co-Founder and CEO of HalenHardy, LLC commented “We are greatly honored to accept this prestigious award that recognizes our contribution to worker protection from respiratory crystalline silica dust. I accept this award on behalf of our scientists and engineers who have worked for over a year to develop a system to make it mobile for use at well pads, mines, sand blasting areas and virtually any construction area that is prone to excessive dust.”

The Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation and Commercialization Center (www.sgicc.org), an initiative of Ben Franklin Technology Partners/CNP (http://www.cnp.benfranklin.org) is designed to harness innovation and new technologies as a means to maximize the economic return to Pennsylvania’s citizens from the various shale formations comprise part of the energy reserves of the Commonwealth. The Center also identifies, supports and helps commercialize technologies and early-stage businesses that enhance responsible stewardship of the environment while properly utilizing this transformative energy asset.