A March 30 story (“Natural gas just the beginning”) lays out the clear facts regarding shale development and these abundant resources’ downstream uses for a host of manufacturing-related purposes, and for power generation, which are marking “the beginning of a more stable economy built on products made from natural gas” for the region.
This story follows another recent one (“Report: Gas boom could bring 1,000 manufacturing jobs to metro area,” March 20), which highlights a new U.S. Conference of Mayors report citing shale development as a key source of energy-intensive job creation.
Further, newly released U.S. Census Bureau data states that the oil and natural gas sector “was among the fastest growers in employment” across the nation. For our part, Pennsylvania had the nation’s second-largest employment increase in shale jobs between 2007 and 2012.
Put simply: responsible, tightly regulated shale development has been – and continues to be – a powerful economic engine, creating tens of thousands of good-paying jobs at a time when they’re most needed.
Given these clear facts, it was disappointing to read the column (“Job data as flimsy as gas,” March 31) written by activists who apparently failed to read the Times-Tribune’s stories referenced here.
“Fracking proponents have exaggerated the benefits” outlined above, write the authors, who dismiss the fact that an overwhelmingly clear majority of Pennsylvanians, according to poll after poll, support safe shale development.
It’s quite clear whose claims are “flimsy.”
DAVE SPIGELMYER
PRESIDENT, MARCELLUS SHALE COALITION
PITTSBURGH
NOTE: Click HERE to view this letter online
