Expert gives talk at SRU
By John Bojarski, Eagle Staff Writer
MSC: “Producing natural gas can be done safely and responsibly“
SLIPPERY ROCK — The Marcellus Shale natural gas industry will have a positive impact on jobs in the state, said an industry expert.
Joy Ruff, economic development community outreach manager for the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said Tuesday at a presentation at Slippery Rock University that using shale gas is important because it can provide long-term stability to the U.S. energy industry.
Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel, is inexpensive and creates less environmental impact than other fossil fuels.
“Producing natural gas can be done safely and responsibly,” Ruff said.
The Marcellus Shale Coalition, founded in 2008, is committed to the responsible development of Marcellus Shale natural gas and the enhancement of the region’s economy.
Marcellus Shale natural gas already is creating an impact in the state, Ruff said.
She said each well requires a $5 million investment. Currently, she said there is $12.5 billion invested in wells statewide.
“That’s a significant capital investment,” Ruff said.
Each well requires at least 400 workers encompassing 150 professions.
Ruff quoted figures from the state Department of Labor and Industry that showed that 229,000 people in the state work in the Marcellus Shale industry, and those workers have an average wage of $76,036 per year, $30,000 more than the average state worker.
Although some residents are concerned that the industry hires mostly out-of-state workers, Ruff said seven out of 10 workers are state residents.
There are two types of natural gas, wet and dry. Ruff said dry gas is prevalent in the eastern part of the state, while wet gas is prevalent in the western part of the state.
Dry gas is used only in the heating and fueling industries. But in addition to those industries, wet gas is used in the polymer, paint and plastic industries. Wet gas also requires additional processing after it is extracted.
“Where wet gas occurs, more jobs occur,” Ruff said.
There are four phases to shale gas production: exploration, extraction, production and delivery.
She said exploration and extraction, which involves searching for gas and drilling, creates temporary jobs. The production and delivery phases create long-term and permanent jobs, she said.
The most common jobs in the industry are in equipment operation, which make up 30 percent of the jobs, followed by engineering and construction, 24 percent, operation and maintenance, 17 percent, and administration, 11 percent.
Ruff also said the industry brings jobs to other industries such as trucking companies, real estate and steel.
There is particular interest in the Northeastern U.S. due to the Marcellus and the deeper Utica shale formations. However, shale regions in the Northeastern U.S. are competing for attention from gas companies with the Barnett Shale formation in Texas.
“The gas industry is very competitive,” Ruff said.
For people who are interested in working for the industry, Ruff said the most important thing to know is that there is a “safety first” mentality. The industry has to follow federal, state and company safety policies.
Additionally, she said working in the industry requires travel and being able to handle non-traditional work hours.
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