Yesterday (March 20,2013) a consortium of energy companies, environmental organizations, and philanthropic foundations announced that they have collaborated to form an organization — the Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD) — that will provide an independent, third-party certification process for shale developers.  The CSSD is expected to focus on certifying operations in the Marcellus and Utica shale regions, chiefly in eastern states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.