• White House: Potential benefits of American shale gas “to the U.S. economy are substantial”
  • “A whole slice of American industry is benefiting,” thanks to natural gas
  • “Electricity generated by gas-fired plants has risen by more than 50 percent over the last decade”

The White House: “A Boom in Natural Gas Production has Supported Manufacturing”: The surge in domestic natural gas production can lower energy costs, reduce pollution and drive investment in the industries that supply equipment the natural gas sector and those that use natural gas as an input to production, like the chemical industry. … The discovery of new natural gas reserves, such as the Marcellus Shale, has led to rapidly growing domestic production and relatively low domestic prices for households and downstream industrial users. Appropriate care must to be taken to ensure that America’s natural resources are extracted in a safe and environmentally responsible manner with the safeguards in place to protect public health and safety. Provided these precautions are taken, the potential benefits to the U.S. economy are substantial. (WhiteHouse.gov, 1/12)

American Natural Gas “Helps Families, Businesses” and “A Whole Slice of American Industry”: The country’s natural gas surplus has been growing even as the country burns record amounts. … More than half of U.S. households use natural gas for heat, and a quarter of the nation’s electricity is made from it. Falling heating and electric costs are offsetting the impact of high gasoline prices and enabling families and small businesses to spend on other things. Residential gas and electric customers are saving roughly $200 a year, according to a study by Navigant Consulting. … U.S. manufacturers are becoming more competitive globally as a result of the country’s cheap natural gas, industry officials say. … “A whole slice of American industry is benefiting,” says Steve Wilson, the CEO of CF Industries, which makes ammonia and other fertilizer ingredients. CF Industries, which is based in Deerfield, Ill., has seen its daily natural gas costs fall from $6 million to $2 million over the past few years. (Associated Press, 1/16/12)

Thanks to Shale Gas, “Electricity Declines 50%” for US Consumers: A shale-driven glut of natural gas has cut electricity prices for the U.S. power industry by 50 percent and reduced investment in costlier sources of energy. … U.S. gas supplies have been growing since producers learned how to use hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling to tap deposits locked in dense shale rock formations. Gas prices have been falling since mid-2008, when a global recession sapped demand just as drilling accelerated in the gas-rich Marcellus shale in the eastern U.S., according to data compiled by Bloomberg. (Bloomberg, 1/17/12)

“Shale a Boost to Local Businesses”: Even before the first drill breaks ground in Muskingum County, local businesses already are benefiting from shale. Producers Service Corp. on South Graham Street — which specializes in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking — created a special 30- to 40-member shale crew, most of whom already were working for Producers, to handle the new business volume. … “Our revenue certainly has increased from the jobs we’ve done in Marcellus” in West Virginia, Pottmeyer said. “The best part of this is the same activity is going to happen in Ohio. … This play is going to be great for companies like ours, and it will be a great thing for the whole economy.” … In December, the port authority announced a pending deal with energy giant Halliburton that could bring as many as 300 jobs to the area. (Zanesville Times Recorder, 1/15/12)

Marcellus Development Creating the “the Industrial Rebirth this Region so Desperately Needs”: Residential gas prices are dropping as a result of abundant supply; two regional gas companies recently cut 2012 consumer prices. But the best may be yet to come. Two major applications — electric power generation and chemical and plastics production — stem from abundant, inexpensive natural gas. … With careful development, natural gas can be safely harvested from shale. It offers the pathway to cleaner electric power production and the industrial rebirth this region so desperately needs. (Tribune-Review, Op-Ed, 1/15/12)

“Obama Discovers Natural Gas”: Last week the White House issued its latest report on jobs and it includes a section on “America’s Natural Resource Boom.” The report avers that a few years ago there were widespread “fears of a looming natural gas shortage,” but that “the discovery of new natural gas reserves, such as the Marcellus Shale, and the development of hydraulic fracturing techniques to extract natural gas from these reserves has led to rapidly growing domestic production and relatively low domestic prices for households and downstream industrial users.” … To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the White House has favorably mentioned the Marcellus Shale, the natural gas reservoir below Pennsylvania, West Virginia and other Northeastern states. … It’s certainly smart politics for Mr. Obama to distance himself from the anti-fossil fuels obsessives, and no doubt his political advisers are hoping it helps this fall in the likes of Ohio and Pennsylvania. (Wall Street Journal, Editorial, 1/17/12)

“Local Businesses Benefit” from Responsible Shale Development: An economic boost to the area will come with the addition of dozens of truck jobs, said Steve Mobley, president of Buckeye Brine, which is drilling injection wells off U.S. 36 and Airport Road in Coshocton County. There will also be jobs for dispatchers and managers, he said. “As trucking companies come, we’re probably looking at tire service companies, truck repair shops, fuel, diesel fuel, gas,” said Rodney Adams, local operations manager for Buckeye Brine. “As jobs come and people come, you’re looking at motels, hotels, stores, uniform companies. Everything is going to multiply.” Glen Enslen, director of Economic Development for Carroll County, said things started getting hectic about eight months ago, and while there are some issues that need to be addressed, the county is glad to be in a job expansion stage right now. “It’s really great and a little scary,” he said. “Carrollton is a small village, and job growth is every day now. It’s something we’ve never dreamed of.” (Coshocton Tribune, 1/15/12)

Hamilton College Ph.D. Calls for a Balanced, Fact-Based Dialogue: Outright opposition to shale gas development is neither a sound environmental perspective nor a sustainable economic viewpoint given our current and near-future energy utilization. Further, outright opposition to shale gas flies in the face of the reality that we all depend upon, indeed invigorate, gas exploration by our use of this resource in the: heating of our homes, cleaning of our households, and preparation of our meals. In New York state alone, we consume in excess of 1.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas a year. (Observer-Dispatch, Op-Ed, 1/15/12)

White House Jobs Council Endorses “Responsible Development” of Job-Creating Natural Gas: President Barack Obama’s jobs council called on Tuesday for a corporate tax overhaul, expanded domestic drilling and new regulatory reforms, a set of proposals unlikely to provide a quick fix for high unemployment or gain much traction in an election year. … “The Jobs Council recommends expanding and expediting the domestic production of fossil fuels – including allowing more access to oil, gas, and coal opportunities on federal lands – while ensuring safe and responsible development of those sites,” the report said. (Reuters, 1/17/12)

More American Natural Gas is Meeting our Nation’s Growing Demands: The most optimistic projections describe an abundant domestic energy source that will create enormous numbers of jobs and lead to cleaner skies. Nationwide, the electricity generated by gas-fired plants has risen by more than 50 percent over the last decade. The gas plants generated about 600 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2000 and 981 billion hours in 2010, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency. … Vast gas deposits that previously couldn’t be extracted economically are now being tapped using new technologies. … Undisputed boom in production that’s brought great wealth to some landowners, and a surge of jobs. (Associated Press, 1/16/12)

“America is Poised to be the World’s New Energy Leader, Let’s Vow to Claim This Crown”: The race for new-energy dominance is officially on. … A recent PricewaterhouseCoopers study found that aggressive, domestic shale-gas development could employ approximately one million more manufacturing-sector workers by 2025, thanks to increased product demand. The study also found increased production could help U.S. manufacturers reduce natural gas expenses by as much as $11.6 billion annually through the same year. What’s more, shale gas’ contribution to the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) was more than $76.9 billion in 2010. In 2015 it will be $118.2 billion; in 2035, $231.1 billion. (FoxNews.com, Bob Beauprez, 1/17/12)

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