PA Engineering Firms Expand During U.S. Recession – Why?
There’s one industry that’s been recession-proof over the past four years. Can you guess which one?
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Union Support for Marcellus Drilling at PA Rally
The Marcellus Shale Coalition, a Pennsylvania-based industry group headed by Kathryn Klaber, held a rally at the Capitol in Harrisburg on Monday. Their aim was to dispel two popular myths about drilling in the Marcellus Shale: that the jobs are temporary, non-union jobs, and that the jobs all go to out-of-state workers from Texas and Oklahoma.
At the rally to support the Coalition were union members from the Laborers’ International Union of North America, who presented evidence that it’s local, union membership that often fills positions in the Marcellus workforce.
Read More “Union Support for Marcellus Drilling at PA Rally”
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Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Marshall County | Processing Plants | West Virginia
High Paying Jobs Come to Marshall County, WV Processing Plant
Some high paying jobs are on the way to Marshall County, WV courtesy of a new natural gas processing plant being built by Dominion and opening in December. What’s good paying? How does $30 per hour sound?
Read More “High Paying Jobs Come to Marshall County, WV Processing Plant”
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Behold the Power of Shale Fracking: ND Now #2 US Oil Producer
This is technically not a story about the Marcellus or the Utica Shale. But it’s just as critical. North Dakota has just officially become the number two producer of oil in the United States, displacing Alaska for that spot. Texas still leads with the most oil production.How on earth as ND become number two? It’s simple: shale and the miracle of hydraulic fracturing. What’s even more startling is that as recently as 1999 ND had zero drilling rigs and oil drilling in the state was dead. Just 13 years later, it’s number two in the nation. The importance of this cannot be overstated.
Read More “Behold the Power of Shale Fracking: ND Now #2 US Oil Producer”
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PA Gov. Corbett Outlines How Shale Gas Benefits Everyone
In a recent radio interview, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett spoke about the Marcellus Shale drilling industry and how it positively impacts all Pennsylvanians, not just just a select few:
Read More “PA Gov. Corbett Outlines How Shale Gas Benefits Everyone”
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Drilling – Coming to Erie, PA
At a seminar in Erie, PA for manufacturers and other companies interested in becoming suppliers to the shale gas industry, Marcellus Shale Coalition president Kathryn Klaber told attendees that it’s just a matter of time before Marcellus and Utica Shale drilling comes to their area.
Read More “Marcellus & Utica Shale Drilling – Coming to Erie, PA”
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Altoona Scores a New Pump Plant for the Marcellus
Gardner Denver, a 150 year-old global manufacturer of industrial compressors, blowers, pumps, loading arms and fuel systems has a new manufacturing facility to add to the 40 it already owns around the world. The new 70,000 foot facility is located at Tipton, near Altoona, PA. The new plant will manufacture and repair pumps used in hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale. Gardner Denver expects to employ 100 people at the new plant within a year.
But why locate the plant in Altoona, where there’s very little nearby drilling?
Read More “Altoona Scores a New Pump Plant for the Marcellus”
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Columbiana County | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Mahoning County | Ohio | Wastewater
Industrial Complex near Columbiana, OH Gets Shale Makeover
The former National Refractories complex just outside Columbiana, OH is getting a shale gas makeover. Owner Jerry Stoneburner says the 300,000 square foot facility that sits on 100 acres will become both a shale gas wastewater treatment center and a transfer point to load railroad cars with crude oil and condensate being produced in the Marcellus and Utica Shale.
Read More “Industrial Complex near Columbiana, OH Gets Shale Makeover”
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Packed House for First-Ever NY NatGas Career Expo
Jobs in the shale gas industry was the focus of the first ever Natural Gas Career and Education Expo held at Broome Community College in Binghamton, NY yesterday. MDN editor Jim Willis attended.
Upon arriving, there was a line of 50 or more people waiting to get in to a packed exhibition area with more than 40 vendors, most of whom were looking for people to fill open positions. Exhibitors ranged from large oil and gas companies like Williams, Cabot Oil & Gas and Chesapeake Energy, to environmental consulting firms, equipment dealers and educational programs. Much of the time between 3 and 7 pm the exhibit area was packed, elbow to elbow, with job seekers. Early estimates MDN heard were that more than
4002,300 people attended the four hour event (see this article by the Press & Sun-Bulletin).Read More “Packed House for First-Ever NY NatGas Career Expo”
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NY’s First NatGas Career Expo Today in Binghamton
If you live anywhere near the Binghamton, NY area, you might want to swing by Broome Community College this afternoon (April 11) between 3-7 pm. The Joint Landowners Coalition of New York together with Broome-Tioga Workforce NY is sponsoring the “Natural Gas Career and Education Expo” – reported to be the first such shale gas career expo in New York State. Over 40 vendors will have booths at the expo. (MDN was at first offered a booth, then the offer was retracted. We’re disappointed, but will still be attending to cover the event.)There’s a full agenda of seminar sessions—see the agenda and list of vendors lucky enough to get a booth (embedded below). The event will be a great opportunity for those interested in jobs in the shale gas industry to gather and find out more. And yes, there are many New York residents in Broome County and surrounding areas who are landing jobs in the the drilling industry—because of the drilling that’s happening just across the border in Susquehanna County, PA and other northeastern PA counties. Thank you PA!
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Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Video
New Video: Women of the Marcellus
MDN is really pleased to share a new video highlighting how Marcellus Shale development is impacting families in Pennsylvania. While many know about the economic impacts and consumer savings made possible by shale gas, this video highlights the personal stories of three families whose lives have been made materially better because of Marcellus Shale drilling in Pennsylvania.
Read More “New Video: Women of the Marcellus”
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Two PA Construction Companies Double in Size from Marcellus Work
The Wilkes-Barre newspaper The Citizens’ Voice has an inspirational article in today’s edition about women working in jobs operating heavy equipment—not something you hear about often. As part of the story, we learn about the enormous impact Marcellus Shale drilling has had in the northeast Pennsylvania area on business in general, and on two construction-related businesses in particular:
Read More “Two PA Construction Companies Double in Size from Marcellus Work”
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Wells Fargo Study: 60% of New PA Jobs from Gas Drilling
Wells Fargo Securities economists recently issued a report on the effects of Marcellus Shale drilling on Pennsylvania jobs (a copy of the 12-page report is embedded below). The report offers both an optimistic and pessimistic forecast of job growth, along with what they believe to be a realistic forecast. And all of their numbers are backed up with plenty of commentary so the reader understands why they predict what they predict. The bottom line?Read More “Wells Fargo Study: 60% of New PA Jobs from Gas Drilling”
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Chevron | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Processing Plants | Shell
The (Long) Timeline for Building an Ethane Cracker Plant
An article in today’s Pittsburgh Tribune-Review calls attention to what MDN pointed out yesterday about the Shell CEO comment that a decision on whether or not to build an ethane cracker plant in Appalachia is “years away” (see this MDN story). However, the T-R article adds some interesting information from Shell’s competitor Chevron about how many ethane cracker plants the region can support, and how long it takes to build a plant once the decision is made:
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Shell’s Cracker Plant Actually “Years Away”?
Are we still on track to find out in the next few weeks where Shell plans to build a multi-billion dollar ethane cracker plant? According to a Shell spokeswoman, yes. But in parsing the words of Shell’s CEO at a conference last week, even though the site may be announced, a “final decision” about investing in the site may still be “quite a few years away.” Here’s how it played out last week:
Read More “Shell’s Cracker Plant Actually “Years Away”?”
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New Website Connects Businesses to Marcellus Drilling Industry
Here’s a great idea: Why not start a website where companies already involved in the Marcellus drilling industry, and those companies who want to work with them, service them, do business with them, can also be listed, so they can “connect.” Sort of Facebook or LinkedIn for Marcellus-related businesses. The Marcellus Shale coalition has done just that! The new website they’ve created to connect businesses interested in the Marcellus is called Marcellus on Main Street and is located at: www.MarcellusOnMainStreet.org. The website just launched yesterday, so it’s not full of listings yet. It does contain Marcellus Shale Coalition member firms, which is a great start. If you work at or own a business and want to list it on the site,
the listing is free. (Sorry! I was wrong, the listing is not free but $25.) Your business may be trucking, or haircutting—it makes no difference. If you want to provide a service or sell something to the drilling industry, get your business listed in this new directory.Read More “New Website Connects Businesses to Marcellus Drilling Industry”
This is technically not a story about the Marcellus or the Utica Shale. But it’s just as critical. North Dakota has just officially become the number two producer of oil in the United States, displacing Alaska for that spot. Texas still leads with the most oil production.
Wells Fargo Securities economists recently issued a report on the effects of Marcellus Shale drilling on Pennsylvania jobs (a copy of the 12-page report is embedded below). The report offers both an optimistic and pessimistic forecast of job growth, along with what they believe to be a realistic forecast. And all of their numbers are backed up with plenty of commentary so the reader understands why they predict what they predict. The bottom line?
Here’s a great idea: Why not start a website where companies already involved in the Marcellus drilling industry, and those companies who want to work with them, service them, do business with them, can also be listed, so they can “connect.” Sort of Facebook or LinkedIn for Marcellus-related businesses. The Marcellus Shale coalition has done just that! The new website they’ve created to connect businesses interested in the Marcellus is called Marcellus on Main Street and is located at: