Houston. The top-floor conference room of EQT Corporation's headquarters.
Representatives from several of the largest natural gas drillers and traditional energy giants in all of America gathered together. A massive electronic screen displayed a draft executive order leaked from within the Government of Pennsylvania: an approval for the establishment of the Pennsylvania Energy Administration.
The CEO of EQT sat at the head of the table, tapping his fingers against the surface.
"Gentlemen, we have a problem," he said, pointing at the words *Pennsylvania Energy Administration* on the screen. "The structural design of this agency completely deviates from the conventional model of state-level environmental or energy regulatory departments.
"It possesses independent personnel and financial authority. Worst of all, this draft grants it an exceptionally high administrative ranking and the power to allocate resources.
