PITTSBURGH — A new group is trying to foster cooperative ways for the natural gas industry to protect historic underground sites that may be disturbed by drilling.

The Gas and Preservation Partnership is holding a conference in Pittsburgh through Saturday. Participants include representatives from Shell, Southwestern Energy, legal experts and archaeological consulting firms.

The group estimates that there could be tens of thousands of historic sites in the Marcellus Shale drilling region of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, and hundreds of thousands nationally. They say that currently no regulations require energy companies to assess potential impacts on most sites.

The partnership between the shale gas industry and the preservation community seeks to develop voluntary practices to help manage risks to historic sites.

STATE COLLEGE — Penn State has suspended its entire men's rugby team amid claims that two players torched the team's storage shed and an investigation that revealed what police called the team's discontent with its coach.The university said Friday that the team has been placed on summary suspension from practice and competition and a judicial review of the case has begun.Two rugby team members are charged with arson and other felony charges stemming from a Jan. 15 fire that destroyed an equipment shed for the rugby and cross country teams. The blaze caused more than $30,000 in damage.

READING — A 131-year-old bridge might gain a new lease on life in a warmer climate.Berks County officials are considering a proposal to ship the Wiley’s Road Bridge in Ontelaunee Township to Alabama.County Commissioner Kevin Barnhardt said Alabama officials would use the truss span to provide access to a historic bridge that activists there want to save. The interest group, Workin’ Bridges, would pay or seek funding to disassemble, transport and reassemble the span, officials said.Barnhardt briefed the Reading Area Transportation Study on the plan on Thursday, cautioning that the proposal isn’t final and would need the approval of commissioners.