The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revealed this week that the total number of gas-producing wells in Pennsylvania exceeds the total number of wells drilled by almost 500. That is, there are 12 percent more wells producing gas than there are wells drilled.

Huh?

No, this is not another example of needlessly inflated claims by the gas drilling industry. It’s a report card that says that Pennsylvania is not making the grade in Marcellus arithmetic.

After examining state records, the Post-Gazette discovered that production data filed with the Department of Environmental Protection does not match the DEP’s records of permitted wells. In fact, the report says almost 200 producing wells don’t even show up on the state’s list of permitted wells.

These error rates are significant, and troubling. To be fair, Pennsylvania is challenged -- as it is in so many Marcellus-related areas -- to handle the volume and complexity of data from the gas industry as it sweeps across the state. The Post-Gazette notes that Pennsylvania relies on industry self-reporting and that drillers “routinely fail” to file the required reports with the DEP. As of December, the state had received “only 1,222 well completion reports since 2007, compared to about 4,700 wells that apparently have been drilled.” The DEP is fining companies for failure to file their reports on time. At least 11 drillers have paid up to $5,000 in fines for such violations since March of 2011. The DEP is taking the issue seriously. So should the industry.

This is more than a question of detracting from already shaky public confidence in the industry and the state government’s handling of it. It’s difficult to know what is really going on with shale gas extraction in Pennsylvania if basic -- and I mean basic -- records don’t jibe. It’s impossible to analyze the industry’s activity or impact fairly or completely if there are major discrepancies in the data. And yet policymakers still labor over whether or not to impose a drilling tax and thereby removePennsylvania’s dubious distinction as the only major gas-producing state without one. They don’t need another excuse for inaction.

Pennsylvania’s score of 88 percent might earn a “B,” or even an “A” if you graded on a curve. Given the magnitude of the task, the speed of the industry, and the strains on state agencies dealing with both the industry and years of budget cuts, one could be tempted to cut everyone a little slack. But Pennsylvania cannot afford to flunk a test of basic Marcellus math skills. We must get to 100 percent.