Select Energy Reneges on Deal with Carroll County, OH

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Select Energy Services provides water solutions and wellsite services in every major shale play in the U.S. With $1 billion in revenues and some 5,000 employees, Select Energy is a major player in both the Marcellus and Utica Shale. They also just jilted Carroll County, Ohio.

Select Energy Services has backed out of plans to build an oil-and-gas facility in Carrollton’s Commerce Park, where 200 jobs had been envisioned over the coming year to provide well-site services for the oil-and-gas industry.

The abrupt development drew the ire of Carroll County commissioners.

"We were working with you up to the week before,” Commissioner Tom Wheaton on Wednesday told Scott Theeringer, president of Mages Real Estate, based in Dallas-Fort Worth. “We didn’t know they (Select Energy Services) were talking to Tuscarawas County at the same time they were talking to us.”

Select Energy announced its plans for Carroll County in January, but had not signed a purchase agreement for 30 acres in the commerce park. It did hold a local job fair for potential employees, however, which drew hundreds of job-seekers.

“We have looked at Select Energy as the anchor to help support the growth of Commerce Park,” said Jeff Ohler, president of the county board of commissioners. “We looked for them to help support the sewer line expansion project. We had $800,000 on the line.”

The company did not give a reason for its decision to drop plans in Carroll County.*

Carroll County officials say that $700,000 in state grant money to upgrade the sewer plant in the area—and that grant money is now gone.

“Two days before they pulled out, we spent hours with representatives of the (Ohio) Department of Development,” said Glenn Enslen, Carroll County economic development director. “Our credibility disappeared. We have never been in this position before.”*

*New Philadelphia (OH) The Times-Reporter (Jun 1, 2012) – Energy firm drops plans, shocks Carroll