A Marcellus Shale well has been flaring for the past eight weeks in Rush Township, Centre County.

The well is believed to be located on the Resource Recovery property in northern Rush Township, near the confluence of the Red Moshannon and Black Moshannon Rivers.

Flaring is a technique used by drillers to dispel pressure build-up in wells, or to burn off secondary gases that are generally unprofitable to trap and store. The process has been criticized for being environmentally unfriendly and wasteful.

A spokeswoman for Williams said she would check into the reason to the flare and have an answer by next week.

An eyewitness said the flaring stopped for a period on Friday afternoon.