Canonsburg, PA – At a rally in Harrisburg yesterday, the men and women of Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry demonstrated a unified voice and commitment to the responsible development of natural gas, job creation, energy security and environmental protection. New industry information shows that more than seven out of every ten Marcellus jobs are held by Pennsylvanians, data confirmed by PA Department of Labor & Industry testimony to the Governor’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission last month. Further, more than nine out of every ten jobs are held by residents of Marcellus states – New York, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Here’s a quick overview of the media coverage of yesterday’s rally at the capitol:

  • Marcellus Job Creators Take Message to Harrisburg. An industry group took to the state capitol to remind lawmakers and the public how many jobs are being created right here in Pennsylvania. The gas industry has been the subject of debate for well over a year now. “We thought it was important while everyone was in town to gather together and show there are some serious numbers of Pennsylvanians working in this industry,” said Kathryn Klaber of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry lobbying group. There are questions of taxes, environmental concerns and a public perception that many of the people working for the industry are from out of state. Tuesday’s rally meant to set the record straight. Men and women who gathered outside the state capitol in Harrisburg represent 188 companies, all playing some role in developing the natural gas rich Marcellus shale. (WNEP-TV, 5/10/11)

  • “Marcellus Shale Rally at Pennsylvania Capitol Focuses on Jobs”. Rob Boulware is grateful he found a good job last week that allows him to be close to his elderly parents on their farm in Westmoreland County. Boulware was hired last week by the Marcellus Shale Coalition, the leading industry group behind that boom. Pennsylvanians have filled seven out of every ten new hires in the industry since 2008, said Coalition President Kathryn Klaber during a pro-industry rally at the State Capitol on Tuesday. Bradford County — the center of drilling activity at the moment — currently has the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 5.1 percent. Two years ago it was over 10 percent. [Click HERE for a video of the event and HERE for photos.] (Harrisburg Patriot-News, 5/10/11)

  • MSC Spokesman Hits Philadelphia’s Airwaves, Highlights Shale’s Economic Impact Across the Commonwealth. (CBS Radio/1210 WPHT, 5/10/11)
  • “Coalition: Pa. workers fill majority of Marcellus jobs”. An internal member survey showed 74 percent of the industry’s new hires since 2008 have been Pennsylvanians, coalition President Kathryn Klaber said Tuesday at a Capitol rally. A state Department of Labor and Industry analysis reached a similar conclusion, 71 percent. The state’s study found 48,000 new hires in Marcellus shale core and ancillary industries since the fourth quarter of 2009, including 9,000 in the first quarter this year. In all, Marcellus Shale core and ancillary industries account for 141,000 jobs, 2.4 percent of total state employment, the Department of Labor and Industry study said. (Central Penn Business Journal, 5/10/11)