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Blair County | Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania

Altoona Scores a New Pump Plant for the Marcellus
May 11, 2012May 11, 2012

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?

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Columbiana County | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Mahoning County | Ohio | Wastewater

Industrial Complex near Columbiana, OH Gets Shale Makeover
May 9, 2012May 9, 2012

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.

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Broome County | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | New York

Packed House for First-Ever NY NatGas Career Expo
April 12, 2012April 12, 2012

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 ~~400~~ 2,300 people attended the four hour event (see this article by the Press & Sun-Bulletin).

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Broome County | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Meetings | New York

NY’s First NatGas Career Expo Today in Binghamton
April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

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
April 3, 2012April 3, 2012

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.

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania

Two PA Construction Companies Double in Size from Marcellus Work
March 29, 2012March 29, 2012

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:

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

Wells Fargo Study: 60% of New PA Jobs from Gas Drilling
March 27, 2012March 27, 2012

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?

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Chevron | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Processing Plants | Shell

The (Long) Timeline for Building an Ethane Cracker Plant
March 13, 2012March 13, 2012

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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Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Processing Plants | Shell

Shell’s Cracker Plant Actually “Years Away”?
March 12, 2012March 12, 2012

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”?”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Resources

New Website Connects Businesses to Marcellus Drilling Industry
March 7, 2012March 7, 2012

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.

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | New York | Statewide NY

The Best Economic Hope for NY? Marcellus Gas Drilling
March 7, 2012March 7, 2012

MDN friend Tom Shepstone (from Energy in Depth) has a viewpoint article in today’s Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. Titled “Best hope for N.Y. economy is gas drilling,” Tom makes a strong case for Marcellus drilling in New York. Among the eye-opening facts he brings to light, Tom points out:

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Bedford County | Blair County | Cambria County | Economic Impact | Fulton County | Huntingdon County (PA) | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Somerset County

PA Counties Band Together for Grant to Create Marcellus Jobs
March 7, 2012March 7, 2012

A regional economic development group made up of officials from Blair, Cambria, Somerset, Huntingdon, Fulton and Bedford counties in Pennsylvania is asking the state for a $700,000 grant to help them help businesses located in the southern Allegheny region identify new business opportunities in the shale gas drilling industry. The group hopes that their geography, strategically located between PA’s northeastern and southwestern Marcellus gas fields, will bring new business to the area, and along with that new business, more jobs.

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Allegheny County | Butler County | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Washington County

Dry Gas Drilling Slowdown Results in Layoffs in PA
March 6, 2012March 6, 2012

Although historically low natural gas prices are great for consumers, it’s not so great for some in the shale gas drilling industry. Because drillers are changing their focus away from drilling in the “dry gas” areas of the Marcellus Shale play and instead focusing on the “wet gas”—or liquids-rich—portion of the play, it causes a slow down for some businesses and leads to layoffs in certain industries, like title searching. Title searches of property deeds are a necessary part of acquiring leases for drilling.

A title search company in western PA has just laid off nearly half of their staff:

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Washington County

Washington County, PA Jobs & Wages Skyrocket from Marcellus
March 1, 2012March 1, 2012

Washington County in southwestern Pennsylvania has been named the third highest county in the country in job growth, due mostly to Marcellus Shale drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Not only that, but residents have seen an average increase of 8.8 percent in their wages.

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

New Study Predicts 65K Jobs in Ohio by 2014 from Utica Shale
February 29, 2012February 29, 2012

The Ohio Shale Coalition released a new economic study yesterday prepared researchers from Cleveland State University, Ohio State University and Marietta College. The study projects annual production of oil and gas from the Utica Shale in the state will reach $9.6 billion by 2014 along with an eye-popping 65,000+ jobs. And those jobs will have an average salary of more than $50,000 per year, adding an additional $3.3 billion in labor income in the state. Both a high level overview and a copy of the full 81-page report are embedded below. (MDN is honored to have scored a few mentions in the “News Articles and Web Sources” section of the study.)

MDN particularly likes this graphic from page 39 showing net acreage leaseholds held by drilling companies:

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Baker Hughes | Economic Impact | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Stark County | Utica Shale

Baker Hughes to Build $64M Facility in Ohio; Create 700 Jobs
February 29, 2012February 29, 2012

Baker Hughes is planning to build a $64 million facility in Massillon (Stark County), Ohio. The announcement comes just a month after Baker Hughes announced they are building a new $40 million facility in Harrison County, West Virginia (see this MDN story). The company plans to employ 700 people at the Massillon facility when it’s done (in three years), at an average hourly wage of $31.25. The economic impact in eastern Ohio will be profound.

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