“Congressman Mike Doyle guesses he’s made this claim a time or two around his peers from Texas and Oklahoma: Pittsburgh will one day be ‘America’s Energy Capital.’” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/8/10)
Maravene Loeschke, Mansfield University president and Tioga County Development Corporation director: “This will have a multi-generational impact surpassing all other natural resource extractions in Pennsylvania.” (Wellsboro Gazette, 4/7/10)
PSU Grad Follows Father Into Industry: “Most of the guys at this site are from Meadville, Punxsutawney and Bradford,” Covine said. Though only a couple are locals, Covine said Universal is in the process of hiring more from the area. … One of the locals, Jared Whitney, 25, lives next door to the East Resources headquarters at the “Y” where Routes 6 and 660 intersect, Showers said. … “It’s been a steady job with good benefits,” Whitney said of his employment with East, which began about two years ago. … Fidurko, 24, and a graduate of Penn State University, comes from a natural gas industry family – his father has worked for East for more than 20 years.” (Williamsport Sun-Gazette, 4/4/10)
Well-regulated gas extraction won’t harm water supplies. But it will create Pa. jobs: “While Marcellus Shale production in Pennsylvania is still in its infancy, the results so far have been very good. According to Penn State, shale gas exploration in this state has already created 48,000 jobs, along with billions of dollars in economic output and millions of dollars in state and local government revenue. Over the next 10 years, shale gas production is expected to create more than 200,000 jobs directly and indirectly, as well as $13 billion in economic activity.” (Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/9/10)
Natural gas boom brings riches to a rural town: “The freight railroad, which runs 35 miles north to Corning, New York, had its busiest year in more than two decades in 2009, fueled by demand from a booming natural gas industry, which uses sand in hydraulic fracturing operations. “This is a huge opportunity for us to operate at these levels,” said Bill Myles, manager of the railroad’s operations. The company has just spent $1.5 million on four powerful new locomotives, is laying new track and has hired new workers. Like many rural towns, Wellsboro is getting rich from the rush to develop the Marcellus Shale … The boom has also transformed the lives of some local farmers who, after struggling financially for years, now find themselves with six- or seven-figure checks from the gas companies in return for leasing their land for drilling. “Some of them have had tears in their eyes, thinking they may have to give up the farm,” said Gooch. “The gas checks have allowed them to stay on their land.” … “It’s just the tip of the iceberg. Some say it’s going to be a 20-year project.” … “I have seen so many businesses that it has touched in a positive way.” (Reuters, 4/5/10)
Gas boom sparking rail revival: “Lycoming Valley Railroad Co. is seeing an upsurge in demand for transportation of supplies needed by contractors serving Marcellus Shale drillers. …. Lycoming Valley Railroad Co.’s first quarter this year showed a 40 percent increase over the same time period last year, said chairman and CEO Richard Robey. The firm, based at 356 Priestley Ave. in Northumberland, hired two more workers and is looking for two more now. That’s just to start. … Wildcat is a Colorado-based company, Hunter said, but it has plans to hire from the local job market. … Gas drilling needs may come just in time to rescue Pennsylvania railroad operations which have been experiencing shrinking demand for loads of traditional material, such as coal, iron and steel. … “It’s impact on local areas is dramatic.” … “They’re hiring a lot of people.” (Sunbury Daily Item, 4/2/10)
Rebirth of the railroad: “Now, for the first time after decades of decline, activity on the Lehigh Railway is growing again. New locomotives are being purchased, and employees are being hired to keep up with new demand created by the natural gas industry.” … The Lehigh Valley Railway, the railroad is once again assuming a position of prominence in the region’s economy, transporting many of the things needed to tap into the of the area’s newest economic hope – the sand, pipes, and other bulk materials needed to drill for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. … “This is a phenomenon up in this area, it really is,” Raffa said. “There’s a lot of railroads that are seeing economic downturns, whereas for us, it’s been growth.” … “To have a functioning railroad that’s doing well is only going to produce better-paying, higher-paying types of jobs. This is all good news for the area,” he said. “It’s definitely coming back” (Sayre Morning Times, 4/3/10)
“According to a 2009 Penn State study, natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale could generate nearly 100,000 jobs by the end of 2010 and add almost as many more 10 years out. It could also generate $1.4 billion in state and local tax revenues.” (Allentown Morning Call, 4/6/10)
“Our pipeline system and storage facilities have been in operation for more than 60 years in Pennsylvania, where our investments sustain 200 permanent jobs and 300 contract employees.” (Altoona Mirror, 4/7/10)
