Jobs

Carbon County | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Trucking

Help Wanted: PA Fire Truck Co. Retools to Build Marcellus Tankers
March 28, 2013March 28, 2013

More positive impacts from the Marcellus drilling industry in Pennsylvania. A major employer in Carbon County, PA, Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corporation (in Nesquehoning), a company that previously manufactured mostly fire trucks, is hiring 40 new workers to help with a new business line: water hauling tankers used by the Marcellus Shale industry. Kovatch’s increase in employment is rippling throughout the entire local economy…

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Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | NGLs | Processing Plants

ExxonMobil Chemical Chief Says Fracking Transforming our Future
March 27, 2013March 27, 2013

Stephen Pryor, president of global plastics and chemicals giant ExxonMobil Chemical Co., recently spoke with Plastics News and boy oh boy did he have a lot to say! Pryor is someone who clearly “gets it” when it comes to the miracle of hydraulic fracturing and its profound impact on the U.S. and around the world. In his remarks, Pryor says fracking is transforming America’s future and the most important thing to happen in the last 150 years. He also says private business (and not government) is responsible for this miracle, and government should stay out of it. In topics ranging from ethane crackers to jobs to exports, he pretty much covers the whole spectrum.

Take a few minutes to soak up Mr. Pryor’s wisdom:

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Supply Chain | Wayne County (OH)

Supply Chain: OH Company Offered Tax Credit to Create 120 New Jobs
March 26, 2013March 26, 2013

More happy news from the Marcellus and Utica supply chain: Wooster Tool & Dye, a company that manufactures gas and oil separation tanks used by shale drilling companies, has been offered a seven-year tax credit to add 120 new full-time jobs to their existing workforce of 110. The new jobs will average $21 an hour. If the company accepts the deal (not yet a done deal, but it looks promising), they will agree to maintain operations in Wooster, OH for at least the next 10 years:

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Brooke County | Economic Impact | Hancock County | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Supply Chain | West Virginia

WV Scores Another Shale Supply Chain Company – from Italy
March 25, 2013March 25, 2013

West Virginia is working hard to attract all kinds of businesses to the state that plug in to the shale industry supply chain—and it’s paying off. Reporting that the state gave them “some very interesting support,” Italian company Pietro Fiorentini, a pressure regulator and valve manufacturer, said they first need to gage interest to their products, but they’re already feeling good about WV and making plans to build a new, $9 million manufacturing plant in Weirton, WV.

Support from the state (and local municipalities) is not the only reason for the company’s interest in the northern panhandle of WV—geography is the other prime reason…

Read More “WV Scores Another Shale Supply Chain Company – from Italy”
Blair County | Economic Impact | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Marcellus GTL | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants

Altoona Area Getting $200M Marcellus Gas-to-Liquids Plant
March 25, 2013March 25, 2013

Gas-to-liquids (GTL) plants appear to be catching on in the PA Marcellus Shale. Last September MDN told you about plans to build a GTL plant in Karns City, PA (western part of the state, see Chemical Manufacturer to Build Gas-to-Liquids Plant in PA). GTL plants convert natural gas to other products like diesel fuel and gasoline.

Last week, a company announced in Altoona, PA that they plan to build a GTL plant in Blair County (central PA). Marcellus GTL said they will build a new $200 million (!) GTL plant in Duncansville. While the plant is being built it will provide 120 construction jobs. After it’s built, the plant will provide 30 full-time permanent positions working at the plant, and 60 “secondary jobs” in the area as well. The Duncansville GTL plant will produce sulfur-free gasoline and propane.

Read More “Altoona Area Getting $200M Marcellus Gas-to-Liquids Plant”
Columbiana County | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Mahoning County | Ohio | Sand/Proppant | Supply Chain

OH Property Management Firm Plugs into the Shale Supply Chain
March 20, 2013March 20, 2013

More lessons for small businesses that want to plug in to the booming Marcellus and Utica Shale supply chain, this time from a new transloading facility in Columbiana, OH, started by a property management company. What’s a transloading facility? It’s a place where (in this case) railroad cars full of sand are parked and unloaded with special equipment onto waiting trucks that then haul the sand to nearby drilling sites for use in hydraulic fracturing.

The Buckeye Transfer Realty transloading facility accepted their first sand shipment via rail on Jan. 4. In the past three weeks they’ve hired 22 new people, with plans to hire more. Here’s their story, along with some of the things they’ve learned:

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Economic Impact | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Statewide OH

OH Congressmen Form LNG Working Group to Encourage Exports
March 18, 2013March 18, 2013

Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan announced last week that he and Ohio Congressman Bill Johnson have founded the “Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Export Working Group” for the 113th Congress. The purpose of the group is to encourage the Obama administration (specifically the Dept. of Energy) to get off it’s collective rear-end and start approving some of the many requests for permits to export natural gas.

Congressman Ryan’s press announcement:

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Crime | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania

GPX Pleads Guilty in Using Illegal Aliens for PA Marcellus Work
March 12, 2013January 5, 2014

The final chapter is now written. MDN previously told you about GPX/GPX USA, a Texas-based seismic surveying company doing work in Pennsylvania for the oil and gas industry that was caught using illegal aliens to work on their surveying crews. It appeared they would only be fined $25,000 for the violation (see GPX Gets Off Easy After Using Illegal Aliens for PA Survey Crew). However, in addition to the $25K fine, they also have to forfeit a $250,000 cash bond. Ouch. That’s more like it.

In addition, the operations manager in charge of the illicit arrangement faces six months in jail and a $5,000 fine:

Read More “GPX Pleads Guilty in Using Illegal Aliens for PA Marcellus Work”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA

Latest Fed Beige Book Credits Shale with Economic Expansion
March 8, 2013March 8, 2013

Two days ago the Federal Reserve released their bi-monthly survey of regional economic trends, called “the Beige Book.” One of the stars in the current edition of the Beige Book (full copy embedded below) is the Marcellus and Utica Shale. Shale drilling is mentioned prominently for Region III (Philadelphia) and Region IV (Cleveland).

According to the Fed, shale drilling is expanding rapidly, and along with it an increase in banking, manufacturing and other sectors. Sort of “a rising tide raises all boats” theme.

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Education | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Community Colleges Launch New Marcellus Training Program
March 8, 2013March 8, 2013

Residents living in the northern panhandle of West Virginia who want to get high-paying jobs in the rapidly expanding Marcellus and Utica Shale drilling industry but don’t have “skills” now have an option—go back to school.

Pierpont Community and Technical College (in Fairmont) and Northern West Virginia Community and Technical College (in Wheeling, Weirton and New Martinsville) will begin offering a new petroleum technology program this fall to train Marcellus Shale workers:

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PA Leads NE in Corporate Facilities Expansion – TY Shale!
March 6, 2013March 6, 2013

What does Pennsylvania have that New York doesn’t? For one thing, fewer welfare deadbeats sucking off the public teat. For another, PA has shale gas drilling and NY does not. Shale gas drilling has propelled PA, for the second year in a row, to third place in the entire country for the number of new and expanded corporate facilities built. PA is #1 for new corporate facilities in the Northeast—thanks to Marcellus drilling. Too bad NY is missing out—the very real cost of not drilling is loss of infrastructure projects like these.

PA had 430 new or expanded corporate facilities built in 2012 with a minimum investment of at least $1 million and with each facility adding at least 50 new jobs. Translation: On the low end, PA had $430 million in new investment and 21,500 new jobs—most of which came from the shale industry. The actual number for new investment/jobs was more like double…

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Unions Say Anti-Fracking Celebrities are Killing Jobs in NY
March 1, 2013March 1, 2013

New York State unions are blasting Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, Mark Ruffalo and other celebrities (elitist 1 percenters) for killing jobs for hard-working union members (99 percenters) with their activist opposition to shale gas drilling and fracking in New York.

Greg Lancette, political director of the New York State Pipetrades Association—14 local unions with 25,000 members—penned the following op-ed that appears in today’s New York Post:

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Crime | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

GPX Gets Off Easy After Using Illegal Aliens for PA Survey Crew
February 27, 2013February 27, 2013

Last June MDN told you about GPX, a Texas-based seismic surveying company doing work in Pennsylvania for the oil and gas industry that was caught trying to sneak in illegal aliens to work on their surveying crews in PA (see Surveying Company Caught Sneaking Illegal Immigrants to PA). Those in charge faced the prospect of 100 years in prison and paying $5 million in fines. Looks like they’re going to get off easy with a slap on the wrist—a $25,000 fine:

Read More “GPX Gets Off Easy After Using Illegal Aliens for PA Survey Crew”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Portage County | Utica Shale

New Utica Pipe/Equipment Plant Setting up in Portage County, OH
February 25, 2013February 25, 2013

A welding and fabrication company—Six C Fabrication—has just purchased a former plastics plant in Rootstown (Portage County), Ohio where it will establish a manufacturing plant for piping and structural steel equipment for the Utica Shale drilling industry.

Six C hails from Louisiana. They believe the Utica offers a great opportunity to expand their business. Another 100 new jobs are on the way (this year) in the Utica…

Read More “New Utica Pipe/Equipment Plant Setting up in Portage County, OH”
Economic Impact | Guernsey County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Taxation | Utica Shale

Guernsey County Shale: Businesses Expand, Millionaires Created
February 18, 2013February 18, 2013

More tales of companies starting, companies expanding, and new millionaires being created at a rapid rate—all because of Utica Shale drilling. This time it’s happening in Guernsey County, Ohio…

Read More “Guernsey County Shale: Businesses Expand, Millionaires Created”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Research | Statewide OH

OH Report Details Shale Drilling’s Huge Impact on Jobs, Economy
February 12, 2013February 12, 2013

The Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services (Ohio’s welfare agency) issued the very first edition of a new quarterly publication yesterday which tracks the changes in Ohio’s oil and gas industry (see a copy of the first issue embedded below). What did ODJFS find with regard to the oil and gas industry’s impact on Ohio? Jobs in the oil and gas fields are up 17% from 2011 to 2012. The average salary across all the shale-related industries in Ohio is $73,934 per year. Those with jobs extracting oil in Ohio’s shale are making over $100K per year.

In short, the Utica and Marcellus Shale in Ohio has been a jobs and economic boom for the state:

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