Jobs

Blair County | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Supply Chain

Energy = Jobs in Blair County, PA – 50 New Jobs on the Way
May 16, 2014May 16, 2014

It’s a pretty simple equation: Jobs = Energy. It also happens to be true. Makes for a great campaign slogan, which is why it was coined and continues to be used by Pennsylvania Tom Corbett. Yesterday Corbett announced another 50 new energy-related jobs are on the way in Blair County (Altoona area), courtesy of a new facility for a manufacturer of commercial service vehicles used in the Marcellus Shale…
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Economic Impact | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Marshall County | West Virginia

Plan Advances to Build $615M Gas-Powered Electric Plant in WV
May 13, 2014May 13, 2014

The plans continue to advance to build a 549 megawatt electrical generating plant near Moundsville, WV that will be powered by Marcellus Shale gas (see Marcellus-Powered Electric Plant Coming to Marshall County, WV). As MDN previously reported, the deal to get it built and operating is a tad complicated (see Complicated Deal for Proposed WV Gas-Powered Electric Plant). Essentially the deal boils down to this: the company that will build and operate the plant will turn over the deed to the facility once it’s built to the county and pay the county lease payments each year in lieu of paying taxes. It’s a win/win for everyone. Right now the land on which the plant will be built is an EPA brownfield producing no taxes.

Here’s more details on just how the plan will work for Marshall County:
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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Supply Chain | Washington County

Small Businesses Target Marcellus Industry in SW PA
May 12, 2014May 12, 2014

We’re always amazed at how many businesses find new work and new sources of revenue–which leads to expansions and new jobs–because of the Marcellus and Utica Shale. It is an economic engine like nothing we’ve seen in our lifetime. Not even Obama spending your money like a drunken sailor can come close to matching the economic miracle created by the Marcellus Shale. (Reminder: Every time the government spends money it comes from YOU and it destroys wealth–it never creates wealth.)

Recently a sign shop and a screen printing business (think customized t-shirts) in Washington County, PA merged to form a new business. That new business has just opened a second location in the heart of the Washington, PA business district. The main attraction? You guessed it–the Marcellus Shale and all of the businesses it’s attracting. The new sign sign shop, which bills itself as a “business branding company,” is targeting, in part, companies in the Marcellus supply chain…
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Carroll County | Economic Impact | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio

NatGas-Fired Electric Generating Plant OK’d for Carroll County OH
May 7, 2014May 7, 2014

A new 742 megawatt natural gas fired combined cycle electrical generating plant for Carroll County, OH has just been given the green light by the Ohio Power Siting Board. The new plant will cost $800 million to build, with 500 construction-related jobs during the building phase. Once complete, the plant will employ 25-30 full-time workers and provide enough electricity to power 700,000 homes.

The green light announcement, which is the final hurdle before construction can begin:
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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Research | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Ohio Quarterly Shale Jobs Report – Shale Jobs Up 79% in 2 Years
May 2, 2014May 2, 2014

Each quarter the Ohio Dept. of Jobs and Family Services issues a report on how the Ohio shale industry is faring with respect economic impacts and the number of jobs. The April 2014 edition of that report was just released (see a full copy embedded below). What does the state’s own research show? In the two years from Q3 2011 to Q3 2013 core shale-related industry employment (like pipeline construction and well drilling) was up 5,763 (79.0 percent). Employees in core jobs had an average wage of $71,661. To which we say, that ought to make OH Gov. John “foreigner hunter” Kasich happy! He doesn’t like foreigners (people from Texas and Oklahoma) takin’ good Ohio jobs–so every now and again he prowls around on patrol (see OH Gov. Kasich Goes After Out-of-State Engineers/Surveyors).

The report contains a lot of great charts and maps and helpful information to understand the economics of shale in Ohio–we encourage you to take some time with it. Here’s a good overview of the report from Columbus Business First:
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Economic Impact | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Marshall County | Taxation | West Virginia

Complicated Deal for Proposed WV Gas-Powered Electric Plant
May 1, 2014May 1, 2014

Last week MDN told you about the proposed Marcellus gas-powered electrical generating plant proposed for Moundsville, WV (see Marcellus-Powered Electric Plant Coming to Marshall County, WV). To make the plant profitable to run, the owners have proposed a complicated deal whereby the county would end up owning the land and assets and lease them back to the operators (“owners”) thereby reducing what would have been hundreds of millions in property and school taxes to virtually nothing in taxes. For example, the local Moundsville school district would get something like $4 million instead of $181 million over 30 years, under the deal–if it’s approved.

Those numbers may seem out of kilter until you consider this: Currently the property is a contaminated EPA Superfund site with nothing on it–earning the school district and the county nothing in taxes. Zero. Under the deal proposed by Moundsville Power, the school would get $4 million, and the county would receive nearly $40 million in lease payments over the next 30 years. So let’s do the math: $0 or $44 million over the next 30 years, plus an added 30 permanent jobs at the plant and all of the economic stimulation the plant will bring to the local economy with purchases of goods and services. Pretty easy decision if you ask us. Here’s more on the complicated deal to build the power plant in Moundsville…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Latest Attack on PA Drillers: Discrimination
April 30, 2014April 30, 2014

Pennsylvania’s Act 13 Marcellus drilling law, passed two years ago and now partially gutted by seven selfish towns (see Act 13 Case Goes Back to Court, Drillers Petition to Join Lawsuit), has a provision that requires PA drillers to provide “maximum practicable contracting opportunities for diverse small businesses,” defined as minority, women, or veteran-owned businesses. Please don’t get us started on reverse discrimination in this country. Just play along for the moment and pretend such silly ideas are good and righteous (when indeed they are not). Fortunately the Act 13 law does not set quotas–but it does require an annual survey to be filled out and returned to the state. Apparently some drillers have not been filing their paperwork (naughty white boys) providing platitudes about how they try to find “diverse small business” to shower with their largess. Voila! A new, instant issue which anti-drillers will use to try and bludgeon to death the miracle of hydraulic fracturing and the economic miracle happening in Pennsylvania.

The hew and cry will go out that drillers are all white, rich men who discriminate against the poor and disadvantaged. Which is, of course, horse manure…
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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Meetings | Ohio | Utica Shale | Washington County (OH)

Marietta Meeting Highlights Big Economic Impacts from Drilling
April 29, 2014April 29, 2014

Marietta (Washington County), OH residents and business owners had a chance last Friday to hear how the northeast shale boom has already benefited that area, and how the area will benefit in the future. The changes statewide are dramatic. The changes locally are starting to be felt too–and more changes are on the way. Exciting changes…
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Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Statewide OH

Utica/Marcellus Welders Making $150K/Year – More Needed
April 23, 2014April 23, 2014

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed article, Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel says schools might want to think about bringing back shop class. Why? Because companies like Pioneer Pipe, operating in Ohio’s Utica Shale, can’t find enough certified welders to keep up with the demand. Right now Pioneer employs 60 welders who make over $150,000 per year!

Let’s see–go to college, get a four-year degree, and end up working at Starbucks. Or, go to trade school (or shop class), become a certified welder, work hard and join the ranks of what President Obama calls the 1% (those earning over $150K a year)…
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Economic Impact | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Marshall County | West Virginia

Marcellus-Powered Electric Plant Coming to Marshall County, WV
April 23, 2014April 23, 2014

A brand new 549 megawatt electrical generating plant, powered by Marcellus Shale, is planned for Moundsville (Marshall County), WV. Officially announced yesterday, the plant will begin construction in 2015 and take 30 months to build. Along the way it will provide 400 labor union jobs and when complete, will provide 25-30 high paying permanent jobs. The plant, dubbed Moundsville Power LLC, will be built at a former chemical plant site, next door to the Williams fractionation plant–using Marcellus Shale gas processed at the Williams plant. It will use GE combined cycle technology to power it and it will produce enough electricity to power 549,000 homes.

Moundsville Power is actually headquartered in Buffalo, NY. Below we have the official announcement, information about the unusual arrangement to get it built (the county will own the assets), encouraging reaction from local political officials, and the names of the principals (and the address) for Moundsville Power…
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Allegheny County | Education | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania

President Visits Pittsburgh to Talk Jobs, Ignores Shale Jobs
April 21, 2014April 21, 2014

Well, we hate to say “we told you so,” but, well, we told you so. Last Wednesday President Obama and his oafish sidekick Joe “the clown” Biden “took a little road trip” according to the Pres, to visit the Community College of Allegheny County West Hills Center in North Fayette, PA (near Pittsburgh). The purpose of the trip was to dole out gobs of your hard-earned money to community college professors and students (nothing against either, except when it’s my money going to them!). The Pres announced $600 million in new money–from his Presidential “stash” no doubt. He figures your money will help create jobs out there in flyover country.

We pointed out published comments from both Dave Spigelmyer, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, and Stephanie Wissman, executive director of the Associated Petroleum Industries of Pennsylvania, encouraging the Pres to acknowledge the major role Marcellus Shale drilling has played in creating jobs in western PA (see Obama/Biden Pittsburgh Visit Today: Don’t Expect NatGas Praise). Did either the Pres or sidekick Biden give at least a passing nod to shale and the hundreds of thousands of jobs the shale industry has created in the past half dozen years? Nope. Which is just what we predicted. Admitting the private sector is the best jobs-creating engine in existence doesn’t fit the narrative that big government creates jobs. Interestingly, only 300 people turned out for the event. We’ve been to town hall meetings for pipelines with more people than that! Here’s a recap of what the Pres did talk about last week on his shaleless visit to Pittsburgh…
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Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Labor Unions a Powerful Ally for Northeast Shale Industry
April 21, 2014April 21, 2014

Unions in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio are backing shale drilling in a big way, and that’s giving lefty Democrats heartburn. The unions note that in the early days of northeast shale drilling a lot of the help came from out of state–places like Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. But that’s changed. Today most of the workers are local, and many of them belong to labor unions. Regardless of your opinion on labor unions, there is one inescapable fact–their members want jobs and they’re willing to work and work hard in those jobs.

Labor unions have become an important and powerful ally for the drilling industry. Here is that story…
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Beaver County | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Shell

Big News from Shell PA Meetings: Beaver County WANTS a Cracker!
April 17, 2014April 17, 2014

Yesterday Shell held two meetings in Beaver County, PA to talk to area residents about their proposed plan to possibly build a multi-billion dollar ethane cracker plant. One session was from 11 am to 2 pm, the other from 4-7 pm, both held at the Shadow Lakes country club in Hopewell. Shell expected around 350 people to show up for the daytime session–more than 700 showed. By the end of the day, well over 1,000 people attended the two sessions. As predicted, Shell did not say they’ve decided to move forward, but they are still actively pursuing the project. From that perspective, neither event produced anything “newsworthy.”

Yet, there was big news coming from the two sessions: Attendance was twice what they expected, and the overwhelming majority of those attending support the project and want to see it built. We would go so far as to say Beaver County came out in force with open arms and rolled out the red carpet for Shell. They WANT this cracker plant, and they want it bad. Which is good news for Shell–to have such overwhelming community support…
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Economic Impact | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Trumbull County

Clean Energy Plans NatGas Electric Generation Plant in Lordstown
April 16, 2014April 16, 2014

Clean Energy Future, a company based in Boston, MA, had a “first date” night Monday in Lordstown (Trumbull County), OH. Clean Energy proposes to build an $800 million electric generation plant on 57 acres on Salt Springs road in Lordstown. The plant will be fired by natural gas from the Utica and Marcellus. Clean Energy was there to talk with town residents and to ask the village board to rezone the area so they can build. About 150 people attended date night to size up Clean Energy and their plan.

If the board decides to approve the project, construction would begin in December 2015. However, the plant won’t be completed and online until 2018. Yeah, it takes a long time to build these complex plants–which are made all the more necessary and urgent because of President Obama’s war on coal and the EPA’s strict new rules on burning coal. Here’s how the first date went in Lordstown on Monday:
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American Energy Partners | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Aubrey McClendon Wants Ohioans to Help Him Frack the Utica
April 15, 2014April 15, 2014

Good news for Ohio Gov. John “foreigner hunter” Kasich: The man who once famously said he’s the biggest fracker in the world, former Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon, wants Ohians to help him frack the Utica Shale in Ohio. Aubrey’s new company, American Energy Partners, has a huge “help wanted” billboard along Route 315 near Ohio State University (Columbus, OH). Since Aubrey was booted from Chesapeake Energy last year by corporate raider Carl Icahn, he’s started a new company and has hauled in over $3 billion of seed capital to keep on frackin’.

Want a good job? Contact American Energy Partners in Ohio…
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Carroll County | Economic Impact | Housing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Stark County | Utica Shale

Stark County Still Sitting Pretty in the Utica, Even Without Drilling
April 9, 2014April 9, 2014

Stark County, OH has gone through dramatic changes in a short period of time. Just a few years ago Utica Shale drilling near Stark County was hot with Chesapeake Energy leading the charge in places like neighboring Carroll County. Stark (and its largest city, Canton) were the beneficiaries of all that drilling in the northern part of the Utica play. Today? The “sweet spot” of Utica drilling has moved south, and yesterday’s hot areas like Stark and Carroll are today’s cold areas. Or are they?

Although drilling in Stark never really took off and although drilling in nearby Carroll is starting to decrease, that doesn’t mean Stark is not benefiting, in a big way, from Utica drilling. David Kaminski, the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce’s director of energy and public affairs, said Stark County is still sitting pretty with respect to the Utica…
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