WV Consumers Saved $4B Over 10 Years Thx to M-U Shale
Although the push is on to get Marcellus/Utica molecules to new markets where they can fetch higher prices, there is a group who has benefited in a major way from an abundance of cheap, clean-burning shale gas. That would be the residents and businesses located in West Virginia. Industry group Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) has just published a new report that reveals WV residents and businesses have saved a cumulative $4 billion from 2006-2016 as a result of the decreasing price of natural gas in the state. You may recall not long ago CEA published a similar study for Pennsylvania (see PA Consumers Save $30B Over 10 Years Thx to Marcellus Shale). Yes, PA's numbers were much bigger than WV's, but PA has more population (12.8 million in PA vs. 1.8 million in WV), therefore more chances for savings. And PA has more natgas in the ground than WV. But still, $4 billion in savings is nothing to sneeze at! That's $4 billion in money in people's pockets that didn't come from other people's pockets (via taxes) and got spent on goods and services with a beneficial ripple effect throughout the economy. Here's the CEA report on the great news that West Virginian's hit the $4 billion lottery in shale...
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