Pittsburgh, Pa. – As more clean-burning American natural gas is safely produced here at home, tens of thousands of jobs are being created, especially in the manufacturing sector. Likewise, responsible and tightly-regulated shale development is bringing about clear environmental benefits. At the same time, this ongoing and historic American energy renaissance is bolstering our nation’s security and competitiveness. How far-reaching are these benefits? “We are heading toward some problems,” commented one OPEC official this week, with regard to the cartel’s weakened position as a result of increased American oil and natural gas production. Here’s what else they’re saying about these homegrown benefits.

POWERFUL JOB CREATION ENGINE

  • Small Businesses Find “Success in Oil, Gas Industry”: As oil and gas operations in West Virginia have drastically changed over the past several years, a local business owner in West Union has evolved with the industry. At the age of 34, Jeremy Sutton has started three businesses in Doddridge County. Sutton’s Oilfield Services began in 2002. … “The Marcellus shale has really helped the whole community.” Blue Flame Pipeline began operations in April and employs about 80 to 85 union workers. The company is currently installing pipeline from a compressor station to a well pad in Doddridge County, along with a water line in the same right of way, according to Sutton. (Exponent Telegram, 5/25/13)
  • “Women Snag Big Chunk of New Oil, Gas Jobs”: There are few fields that scream “burly man job” more than oil and gas work. Yet in the first quarter of this year, nearly half (46%) of all new jobs in the oil industry went to women, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data compiled by the industry research and news service Rigzone. … Since the BLS began tracking this in 1991, there never has been a full year where more than a third of new hires in the industry have been women. … While some women may actually be working on the most physical jobs on a rig — the roustabouts or roughnecks that muscle drill pipe into place and perform other manual tasks — Rigzone President Paul Caplan thinks nearly half the women in the oil industry are taking more brainy jobs like technicians, geologists or petroleum engineers. (CNN, 5/28/13)
  • “Number of Women Landing Jobs in Oil, Gas Industry Growing”: Though she didn’t set her sights on a career in energy when she enrolled at Pitt, [Megan] DeGraaf joins a steadily growing number of women landing jobs in the burgeoning oil and gas industry. Of 3,900 positions added in oil and gas nationwide in the first quarter of 2013, almost half or 1,800, were filled by women, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was the 13th straight quarter of job creation in the oil and gas sector. Not all of the new jobs were in engineering; the industry also hires people to work on drilling rigs and pipelines, and individuals qualified for research, sales and marketing positions. Jobs specifically tied to drilling and hydraulic fracturing … are expected to total 2.5 million by 2015, according to IHS Global Insight. (Post-Gazette, 5/19/13)
  • “Western Pa. Business Finds Niche in Drilling Industry”: Bob Kovalchik, owner and president of Twin Pines, saw an opportunity when the oil and gas drilling industry made its way to western Pennsylvania about five years ago and jumped on it. Now, his business profits have quadrupled, he says, by manufacturing hydrofracking machinery parts for all of Pennsylvania and most of Ohio. … “It’s a lot of machine shop work,” Kovalchik said, noting that most products that Twin Pines manufactures are created in-house. Nabors Industries, Halliburton, Appalachian Drilling Services, Baker Hughes and Pumpco Energy Services are just some of the companies that Twin Pines is already supplying its products to. One of the biggest drilling companies in the world, Schlumberger Drilling Services, Kovalchik said, is in the process of getting corporate approval for Twin Pines to supply their products to them. (Associated Press, 5/29/13)
  • Va. “County Adds Natural Gas Service, Saves Jobs”: Carroll County’s new natural gas hub is not glamorous, but the system of metal tubes and gauges is saving jobs. County leaders say they worked together with Mohawk Industries, who had to cut costs or close the plant. “What it was is that they were running on fuel oil and they could end up seeing a reduction in their total operating costs of about $80,000 to $110,000 per month,” said Gary Larrowe, Carroll County Administrator. Larrowe says the Georgia-based carpet and flooring company spent about $1.5 million to run the gas line, and will not have to close, keeping more than 150 people working. Larrowe and one business owner we spoke with say while the addition of natural gas here in Carroll County might save jobs, it might also help with future expansion here in the industrial park. (WSLS-TV, 5/28/13)
  • Training a Strong, Local Workforce: Two West Virginia colleges are teaming up to open a new training center for people who want to work in the oil and gas industry, complete with indoor and outdoor laboratories to simulate drilling operations. The Community and Technical College System of West Virginia said Thursday it’s planning a formal announcement next week about the launch of the Appalachian Petroleum Technology in the I-79 Technology Park. Pierpont Community and Technical College and West Virginia Northern Community College will offer associate and certificate programs in Petroleum Technology, plus a variety of other customized training programs. (Associated Press, 5/23/13)

ENHANCING, PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT

  • Hydrogeologist: “Facts and Science Indicate Natural Gas” is Safe, Responsible: Many factors can affect ground water quality, such as drought, flooding, seasonal variation, surface contamination, and even changes in barometric pressure. … Facts and science consistently indicate natural gas can be safely and responsibly developed to support our growing energy needs. (Albany Times Union letter, 5/25/13)
  • Shale Gas “The Biggest Breakthrough in Decades”: America’s unexpected, and most welcome, bonanza of natural gas from its vast shale deposits seems to be doing as much to reduce pollution as many of the efforts introduced over the years to restrict emissions from vehicles, power stations and other sources. The biggest breakthrough the energy industry has seen in decades, hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling, has released unprecedented quantities of gas from this shale. … Increasing use of this cheap, clean gas means power stations across the country have reduced their carbon dioxide emissions to levels not seen since 1992—despite serving a population that has grown by almost a quarter since then. On a per capita basis, carbon dioxide emissions from power stations are now at their lowest since President Eisenhower left office in 1961. … American commercial vehicles already use a lot of natural gas. For several decades now, local-delivery vans, buses and rubbish collectors…have been switching to CNG to lower fuel costs and to minimize their impact on the environment. (The Economist, 5/27/13)
  • U.S. Now World’s Top Natural Gas Producer: The United States is now the world’s largest producer of natural gas. Meanwhile U.S. oil production increased last year by over 300 million barrels — its biggest jump since the industry began in 1859. … People are right to insist that fracking is done safely, but they’re wrong if they conclude that it can’t be. (CNN op-ed, 5/28/13)

BOLSTERING NATIONAL SECURITY, COMPETITIVENESS

  • America’s “Energy Revolution is Rippling Around the Globe”: Change is coming, and it doesn’t get much bigger than this. … [Shale development is fueling] an energy revolution that is rippling around the globe. … “We’ve entered a new era,” said Daniel Yergin, the Pulitzer Prize-winning oil industry historian whose recent book…details the rise of unconventional energy resources. … “Natural gas generation is a kind of a partner that enables the large-scale use of renewables, which are intermittent and need to be backed up when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing,” Yergin said. … Yergin estimates that unconventional drilling has already created 1.7 million jobs, sliced $70 billion from the nation’s balance of payments by reducing imports, and generated $62 billion in state and federal tax revenues. And this revolution is just getting started. (San Diego Union-Tribune op-ed, 5/26/13)
  • Natural Gas Exports Will Create “Economic Growth, Jobs in the U.S.”: Thanks to hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, the U.S. is now the world’s largest producer of natural gas. Natural-gas exports provide a clean and much-needed source of energy to our trading partners and economic growth and jobs in the U.S. … Opponents of exports discount how the current depressed U.S. price levels for natural gas already appear to be acting as a deterrent to future exploration and production. … Over the long haul, market dynamics—which include the ability to export without undue uncertainty or restriction—will best manage global supply and demand curves for natural gas. Evidence strongly suggests that limiting exports will simply have the unintended effect of also limiting supply. (Wall Street Journal op-ed, 5/29/13)
  • George Mason University Economics Prof.: “U.S. Can Reap Massive Economic Benefits From” LNG: Researchers at the Energy Department recently released a comprehensive economic analysis, finding that the United States can reap massive economic benefits from allowing the export of natural gas. … In recent years, the nation has seen astonishing technological innovation in the natural-gas sector. Companies have discovered vast, gas-rich shale deposits under U.S. soil. … The argument against natural-gas exports is also economically backward. A nation prospers through international trade precisely by exporting those goods and services that it can produce at relatively low cost. Indeed, the Energy Department report found that gas exports benefit the economy. (Courier Life News op-ed, 5/23/13)
  • Common Sense LNG Export Policies “Would Benefit the U.S. Economy”: A study commissioned by the Energy Department concluded last year that exporting natural gas would benefit the U.S. economy. … [Energy Secretary Ernest] Moniz said he has no plans to commission new studies, but will analyze what’s been done. And, he said, he wants to complete his review as quickly as possible. We hope that happens, and that the Energy Department soon gets back to approving more exports. (Longview News-Journal editorial, 5/28/13)
  • U.S. Should Embrace Natural Gas Trade “and Reap the National Security Benefits”: It is a rare opportunity that isolates Iran, undermines Russian energy dominance and broadly benefits the U.S. economy. But those are the stakes for American prosperity as the Obama administration contemplates whether to allow the trade of natural gas with our closest allies. … Not long ago, the U.S. was expected to become a major LNG importer, but the success of unconventional gas production has allowed the U.S. to overtake Russia as the world’s largest producer, creating vast export opportunities. However, antiquated laws written at a time of gas scarcity — not today’s abundance — require the Department of Energy to make a “public interest” determination to grant an export license, leaving nearly 20 license applications in limbo. … The United States should allow global gas markets to flourish — and reap the national security benefits for ourselves and our closest allies. (Politico op-ed, 5/22/13)

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