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Posts tagged "President Obama"

Shale Delivers for Middle (and Middle-Class) America

Wednesday, February 20th, 2013 | 0 Comments

In the ongoing conversation over America’s abundance of natural gas, one thing is becoming very clear: The continued development of our nation’s oil and natural gas resources is helping advance our economy where it matters most – in the pocketbooks of middle class Americans.

In fact, a growing body of evidence highlights that oil and natural gas development is a key element in reaching the “North Star” that President Obama recently noted should be the goal of our nation’s economic policies; namely, a growing economy that creates good middle class jobs.

In 2011, the oil and natural gas industry provided $545 billion to the U.S. economy in the form of capital expenditures, wages and dividend payments. This supported nine percent of all new jobs that year, according to the World Economic Forum.

Such growth, in turn, is transforming entire regional economies. Take, for example, the city of Pittsburgh, Pa.  This once reveled blue-collar city was a symbol of U.S. economic strength until the collapse of U.S. steel and manufacturing in the early 1980s. Thereafter, the city struggled to right its course, with only limited success. But now wages are rising, unemployment is falling and many are attributing this growth, at least in part, to a stronger economy supported by Marcellus Shale development.

Kurt Rankin, an economist and assistant vice president at the PNC Financial Services Group, sees Marcellus development as “providing the defining force for Pittsburgh’s local economy,” according to a recent feature by E&E News. Other experts have similarly observed that shale development is boosting wealth, increasing local spending and reversing a “brain drain” that has plagued the region for years.

Rankin has good reason for his optimism, too. Houston, Tex. has seen rapid growth as major energy Companies have relocated to, or increased their presence in, the Space City due to  $120 billion worth of investments in refineries, pipelines and export terminals expected to be constructed along the Gulf Coast.

Similar expansions have been witnessed in smaller U.S. cities like Williamsport, Pa. This medium sized central Pennsylvania city, long known for hosting the Little League World Series, became the 7th fastest growing city in the United States in 2011 thanks to Marcellus Shale development.

Of course, these economic advancements haven’t just accrued in our nation’s metropolitan areas.  In fact, they are most evident in areas where a majority of middle class Americans reside: our nation’s rural and suburban communities. This was noted in a recent USA TODAY story, which found that oil and natural gas development is increasing personal income in small towns across the nation, reversing a decade’s long trend and shifting significant wealth toward areas of the country that can use the boost. Specifically, the USA TODAY analysis noted these areas saw their incomes rise by 3.8 percent, driven by spending in the nation’s oil and gas fields.

But the story doesn’t end there. A San Antonio Express-News review of economic data supported by Eagle Ford Shale development noted that income in LaSalle County, Tex., rose by 31 percent since shale development began.  In fact, the review found that counties hosting Eagle Ford development saw an average increase in per capita income of 13.62 percent between 2008 and 2011. These counties include Atascosa,Bee, DeWitt, Dimmit, Frio, Gonzales, Karnes, La Salle, Live Oak, Maverick, McMullen, Webb, Wilson, and Zavala. For comparison, Texas saw an increase in per capita income of 1.3 percent over that time.

Eagle Ford income rais chart

What’s making this rise possible is a significant increase in good paying jobs being provided by a growing domestic oil and natural gas industry.  A recent independent review found that wages for the mining, oil and natural gas sector increased by 5.8 percent between the last quarters of 2011 and 2012, an amount greater than any 12-month period since 2006. Examining employment data from two states makes this phenomenon very clear. In Pennsylvania, Marcellus Shale development is directly supporting more than 30,000 jobs in the state.  These jobs pay $89,116 per year, which exceeds the average compensation of all other Pennsylvania industries by $41,000 according to state data. According to the 2010 Census, this even exceeds the Keystone State’s average household income of $51,651.

PA Income chart

A similar story is happening here in Ohio, where Utica Shale development began ramping up in 2012.  According to a recent state report, shale development is directly employing nearly 7,300 individuals who are earning an average wage of $74,000 a year. This figure exceeds the wages of all other Ohio industries by approximately $30,000.

What’s making this development even more profound is that at the same time shale development is increasing wages, it’s also decreasing expenses for most Americans. Wholesale electricity prices in the United States have dropped more than 50 percent since 2008 thanks to affordable natural gas supplies made possible by shale development.  Another review by IHS-CERA found that lower natural gas prices are saving every American household an annual average of $926. All of this, and more, led the President to recently declare in the State of the Union, “We produce more natural gas than ever before — and nearly everyone’s energy bill is lower because of it.”

So, as it turns out, the President doesn’t need to look too far to find that North Star he referenced in the State of the Union Address. From providing millions of jobs, to increasing paychecks while decreasing expenses, our ability to develop our nation’s oil and natural gas resources seems to be the compass that is pointing to a stronger middle class.

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Ohio Votes: Utica Shale and the 2012 Election

Wednesday, October 24th, 2012 | 0 Comments

From the race for the White House to the road to the Statehouse, Ohio voters will soon have the opportunity to cast their votes to decide the representative leadership that will shape our state’s and our nation’s future. Unless you have managed to avoid your phone, television, mailbox, door and inbox for the past three months, it’s clear we are in the midst of one of the most contested and widely covered elections in memory.

And, once again, the old phrase comes back into play – ‘As goes Ohio, so goes the nation’.

It is with that in mind that, today, Energy in Depth – Ohio is proud to launch Ohio Votes: Utica Shale and the 2012 Election Voters’ Guide.

The resource serves as Ohio’s only voters’ guide focusing exclusively on the positions federal and state candidates have on continued development of natural gas from shale resources. The Utica Shale has reinvigorated Ohio’s economy over the past year and this guide serves as a one-stop information source on candidates’ positions on regarding it’s past, present, and future development.

Though candidates on both sides of the aisle have recognized Ohio’s pivotal role in national politics, there has also been recognition of our state’s emergence as a leader in domestic energy production through Utica Shale development.  With that in mind, we have fact-checked statements made by both presidential candidates regarding onshore energy development, and provided a guide that helps voters understand political candidates’ positions on the issue of shale development.

The guide, available at http://www.eidohio.org/energy-in-depth-campaign-microsite-home/, is designed to connect voters with information on the positions of candidates seeking the offices of U.S. President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and State House and State Senate.  It also provides easy access to previous guest posts elected leaders and candidates have penned for EID Ohio, as well as fact check on statements made in the recent presidential debates.

While our organization does not endorse any candidate or party, we felt it was important to provide this resource given the incredible impact the Utica Shale is having on our state and its workforce, as well as the larger national energy picture.

The guide also provides Ohio voters with third party resources they can access to learn about additional positions these candidates have adopted.

In continuing the tradition of fostering an informed and active electorate in Ohio, one that has correctly voted for 24 of the last 26 presidents dating back to 1904, Energy in Depth Ohio welcomes you to Ohio Votes: Utica Shale and the 2012 Election Voters’ Guide.

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President Promotes Shale Production…Again

Wednesday, September 12th, 2012 | 0 Comments

Last week, amidst  the national conventions, President Obama sounded off in an interview with Ron Ponder of WHBC in Canton. As one could imagine, in a show based in Ohio’s “Utica Capital”, energy – and Ohio’s development of the Utica Shale specifically – was a topic of interest.

As Energy in Depth previously reported, oil and natural gas development is enjoying bi-partisan support in the midst of an election year – one of a few issues all sides of the aisle can agree on.

Reiterating previous statements (including a few from this year’s State of the Union address), the President again emphasized his support of the development of our domestic energy resources, acknowledging it’s role in providing energy security and boosting our economic recovery.

I am a big promoter of natural gas as a way for us to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources, but also to create jobs. – President Obama (Obama on fracking: ‘I am a big promoter of natural gas’, 9/5/12)

Reducing our dependence on foreign energy and creating jobs – a cause everyone can promote.

And it’s not theoretical. That was made evident last week as well, as hundreds gathered in Youngstown for the YOUNG Expo to take advantage of the vast opportunities Ohio’s oil and gas industry is providing.

Even at this early stage of development, we are already seeing the positive impact development is having on our workforce. As the Salem News reported, over 8,000 jobs have already been created thanks to Ohio’s development, and there is more to come.

More than 8,000 new jobs have been created in the last year with a direct link to the Utica Shale boom. And that’s just a start, business officials said.

Development of the Utica Shale, described by a top executive of Consol Energy as still in its “infancy stages,” will mean jobs and probably lots of them. (Shale tied to 8,000 new jobs, 9/7/12)

Lot’s of jobs indeed. With over 200,000 jobs projected in the coming years, it’s no surprise everyone from business leaders to elected officials are in full support of Ohio’s – and the nation’s – energy producers.

The natural gas boom that we’re seeing around the country is something that I want to encourage. – President Obama (Obama on fracking: ‘I am a big promoter of natural gas’, 9/5/12)

As Ohio emerges as a leader in domestic energy production, it will continue to be a focal point and example of America’s economic recovery driven by the safe, responsible development of our geological gifts. In a year of politics and football, this industry stands alone as one entity all of us can cheer for.

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Natural Gas: Something Both Rs and Ds Can Agree On

Tuesday, September 11th, 2012 | 0 Comments

With the Republican and the Democratic National Conventions now all wrapped up — and the election only two months away – many Americans across the nation are asking themselves an important question: where we are going and who is best to take us there? And while the two parties may have significant disagreements on a host of significant issues, the topic of natural gas has proven itself a truly bipartisan issue with strong support from both sides of the aisle.

Perhaps no place is this more evident than here in Ohio.

In a state always in focus during any election year, one thing all parties have in common is the recognition and support of the incredible benefits the development of our state’s natural resources in the Utica Shale has to offer. Energy in Depth – Ohio has been fortunate to have had some of Ohio’s most important leaders express support on this platform, and has been privy to the conversation taking place in town halls and legislative offices throughout the Buckeye State.

Here’s a quick look at what they are saying:

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH): “Shale development means economic development, and that’s exciting news for Ohio. It means tens of thousands of good-paying jobs across our state, all while helping to lower power costs for Ohio consumers.” (Shale Development Means Economic Development, 6/13/12)

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel (R-OH): “The natural resources we have in Ohio are an opportunity for win-win-win: job creation, lower energy prices, and reducing our country’s dependence on foreign oil.” (Energy Exploration in Ohio is a “Win, Win, Win” Scenario, 7/25/12)

Mayor William Healy (D-OH): I believe that the exploration of Utica Shale by the oil and gas industry and how we embrace this industry will be a defining moment in our history. – Mayor William Healy (Mayor dubs Canton the ‘Utica Capital’, 3/1/12)

State Representative Dave Hall (R-OH): “Shale means jobs; shale is restoring Ohio’s hope.” (Shale Can Restore Ohio’s Hope, 2/19/12)

There is no other state that serves as a better bellwether for the nation than Ohio. Every four years, the mantra is repeated: So goes Ohio, so goes the nation. And this year is no different, so it should come as no surprise the support for increased, safe and responsible development of our oil and natural gas resources is shared by elected officials across the country, a fact reenforced recently at the national conventions.

From President Obama (D), to New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg (I), to Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal (R), America’s leaders recognize the undeniable benefits of this abundant natural resource. Consider:

Both Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Democratic President Barack Obama have highlighted the important role of natural gas within their platforms and speeches:

President Obama: “The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don’t have to choose between our environment and our economy.” (State of the Union address,1/24/12)

President Obama: “We’re offering a better path … where we develop a hundred-year supply of natural gas that’s right beneath our feet. If you choose this path, we can cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone.” (President Barack Obama’s DNC Speech, 9/7/12)

Democratic Platform: “Our dependence on foreign oil is now at a 16-year low, and a new era of cheap, abundant natural gas is helping to bring jobs and industry back to the United States…We can move towards a sustainable energy-independent future if we harness all of America’s great natural resources.” [Link]

Republican candidate Mitt Romney: “Natural gas is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. Recent discoveries suggest that  the United States may have a 100-year supply beneath our land. Extracting this gas requires “fracking” (hydraulic fracturing, coupled for these purposes with  horizontal drilling), and will also entail significant investments in pipelines and  associated infrastructure to distribute the greater volumes of gas.” [Link]

Republican Platform: “All estimates of America’s oil and natural gas reserves indicate an incredible bounty for the use of many generations to come. At a time when unemployment has been above 8 percent for 42 consecutive months, the longest stretch since the Great Depression, and some 23 million Americans are either unemployed, underemployed, or have given up on finding work, we should be pursuing our oil and gas resources both on and offshore.” [Link]

President Obama’s White House energy adviser Heather Zichal has also touted the administration’s support of natural gas development:

Zichal: “The president has made clear that he believes this important, abundant domestic resource [natural gas] holds unique promise to fuel our energy sector, fuel our vehicles, as well as fuel job growth — all while reducing harmful emissions.” (FuelFix, 5/31/12)

With all of the benefits of natural gas, it’s little wonder why people from all walks of life and all political backgrounds support this clean burning, CO2 reducing, job creating, domestic energy resource.

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Ohio Energy Development Setting an Example for the Nation

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 | 0 Comments

The Obama administration has repeatedly called for an extensive, “all-of-the-above” domestic energy policy – one that aims to wean the United States off foreign oil imports by one third by 2025, puts hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work, and restarts our sluggish economy. Now more than ever, with gasoline prices soaring, our nation needs common sense energy solutions that will put Americans back to work and ease the pain at the pump.

But how is this administration’s rhetoric matching its actions?

In recent weeks on the campaign trail in Florida and North Carolina, President Obama has called on Congress to legislate an energy policy which seeks to stifle job-creating American oil and natural gas production through a series of ill-informed, punitive tax hikes on America’s energy producers. Last week in Maryland, the President touted his administration’s continued support for an all-the-above energy strategy, while simultaneously exaggerating production on federal lands and pinning the American people against domestic energy producers. His trip to Ohio was no exception.

As the President arrived in the Buckeye state, he once again seized the opportunity to tout his administration’s energy agenda while inversely pitting the American oil and natural gas industry against the American people. Yet if any state can testify to the positive results increased energy development can create it is Ohio.

As development of Ohio’s shale resources have recently advanced, the state’s unemployment rate has dropped from 10.6 percent in December 2009 to 7.9 percent in December, 2011. The rust belt has been revitalized, reopening steel mills, and injecting private-sector driven prosperity back into hotels, small businesses, and restaurants. As Ohio State Representative Jack Cera recently stated, “We live in an area that has been down for a number of years. The people here welcome economic development.”

And the good news isn’t going anywhere. A recent Ohio Chamber of Commerce study found that oil and natural gas production alone could create more than 65,000 jobs and an almost $4.9 billion investment in the state’s economy by 2014, including $433 million in local and state taxes and $3.3 billion in wages and benefits paid to Ohio’s workforce. Altogether, oil and natural gas development could generate $1.7 billion for Ohio’s economy this year, $5.8 billion next year, and nearly $10 billion in 2014.

From the 229,000 jobs now supported by natural gas development in Pennsylvania, to North Dakota, a state that boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the country thanks to responsible energy development, oil and natural gas production is putting the U.S. back to work and decreasing our reliance on foreign sources of energy. Yet despite the many benefits generated through development, the President fails to acknowledge America’s independent oil and natural gas producers’ dedication to the American people. Beyond the growth in jobs, the re-opened storefronts, the factories back in production, every barrel of oil that the United States produces at home is one less barrel of oil that we need from foreign countries, countries that are often unstable and even hostile to the American way of life. With international tensions building and gasoline prices rising, it’s absolutely vital to increase our own supply of American energy.

As Ohio and the nation anxiously await the President’s remarks, we urge him to take a page out of Ohio’s energy outlook. As Ohio Gov. John Kasich touted in his January State of the State address, “If America can’t have a policy that makes us energy independent, we’ll let Ohio create an energy policy that makes us independent.” It is time that the Obama Administration follow Ohio’s lead and develop a true “all-of-the-above” energy policy that the President promised the American people.

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Virginia “Gigi” Lazenby is the Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA)

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President Obama Talks Shale, Energy at THE Ohio State University

Friday, March 23rd, 2012 | 0 Comments

EID Ohio was on location as President Obama visited The Ohio State University  on his energy tour this week where he discussed his “all the above” energy policy. The President has been highlighting domestic energy development in his remarks since his  State of the Union address in January. Since Ohio is expected to provide the nation with abundant amounts of clean natural gas and crude oil from Utica Shale development it is no surprise that the Buckeye State was a destination along his multi-state tour.

On an 80 degree day in late March about 2,000 people waited in line to hear the President provide remarks on his overall energy strategy.

Some of those in line were from Energy Citizens. This group is working hard to promote the Keystone Pipeline and all of the benefits that will come with that project once the President signs off on it in its entirety.

 

Mr. Jack Keegen

Ms. Nicole Campbell

The President began he remarks to the crowd with some comments about production numbers.

“Under my administration America is producing more oil today than any time in the last 8 years”.

The President concluded his remarks talking about the need for what he called an “all the above” energy policy.

 

“We can’t drill our way out of the problem even if we drilled ever square inch of the county.”

While the President, and his policies towards domestic oil and natural gas development, are hotly debated items during the current election it was certainly exciting to have the President visit, especially following our March primaries which brought the major Republican candidates to the Buckeye State.

Adding to this, in the course of one week the President of the United States, the Ohio Senate President and The Speaker of the Ohio House all go on record talking about the importance of energy here in Ohio. Add those comments to Congressman Bill Johnson, State Rep. David Hall, State Senator Troy Balderson and State Rep. Andy Thompson and one quickly figures out that Ohio is really the heart of it all when it comes to the topic of energy production.

Ohio has always been a state where we make things, we ended the 1800s as a state that was known for farming. We ended the 1900s as a state that was known for manufacturing. If we stay on this course we will be known as the state that is known for abundant domestic energy production, as well as a return to manufacturing thanks to that production.

Oh – (IO) and the Best Damn Band In The Land was on hand to play for the crowd today.

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Ohio Energy Future Defined by Opportunity, Not Politics

Friday, February 24th, 2012 | 0 Comments

Earlier this month, Ohio Governor John Kasich spoke on the need to work together, Republicans and Democrats alike, to ensure the success of Ohio’s shale development and the return to economic prosperity it will provide.

On the energy piece of this, we’re going to have to work together collaboratively, and we have been. Democrats and Republicans understand the big picture here… – Governor John Kasich, State of the State address, 2/7/12

Ditto President Obama. Last month, during the State of the Union address, the president emphasized the incredible potential shale plays all across the country have in the abundant supply of energy and the enormous positive impact it will have in creating new jobs and rejuvenating the economy.

We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years…and my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. – President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, 1/25/12

This is an opportunity we all share in. A rising tide lifts all ships, right?

But as you may have noticed, it’s an election year. And in good ol’ American tradition, politics is now being injected into every issue and every public conversation out there. Energy development, it seems, and the economic revitalization it is providing, is not immune to this. We can see it nationally, and we can see it at home here in Ohio.

Recently, there has been great effort by activist groups (and, in some cases the media) who would like to characterize or create such a simplistic divide as ‘Right vs Left’ or ‘Republican vs Democrat’ in the greater conversation of energy development; Gasland’s Josh Fox has attempted to lay the blame of his recent arrest at the feet of house Republicans, in spite of the fact that it was a direct result of his failure to follow proper house protocol. Ohio Representative Bob Hagan has tried to tie recent seismic events in Youngstown to the current Republican administration. He even bussed in protestors to the recent State of the State speech to disrupt the annual address. CBS and local anti-energy activist groups have made an attempt, successful in some instances in Ohio, to co-opt the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement into the opposition to oil and gas development.

But it’s not that simple.

I’ve recently spoken with both the Mansfield Tea Party and the Occupy Mansfield groups, and can tell you while there may be deep ideological differences between the two, many of the sentiments on Ohio energy development remain the same. The Occupy group did not inherently oppose energy exploration, nor did the Tea Party group blindly support it. I was invited to speak on the facts by the leadership of both organizations. And I heard the same questions at both events. Surely, there were some folks who had already come with predisposed opinions, but those were not the same ones I came to address. More importantly, they weren’t the ones who came to listen.

Having been to “both sides” of the “aisle” I can tell you – this is not how the opportunity the development of our homegrown resources is defined.

We have a chance to return our state to days of prosperity we have not seen in generations. Shale development has saved Ohio consumers billions on energy costs, brought manufacturing back to places where it has been long dormant for decades, dropped unemployment rates in long depressed regions, and lifted communities that have endured great hardship.

And we are just beginning this journey.

No, this conversation is defined in opportunity; it is an opportunity for our labor force, our unemployed, our college graduates to find work here at home. It’s an opportunity to provide our returning veterans with one of the greatest thanks we can give – an ability to provide for themselves and their families with a good paying job. The conversation we are having here in Ohio is of too great importance to simplify with one word or to characterize as one side vs. the other.

While we are inundated with political and divisive rhetoric from now till next November, let’s leave it at the door when it comes to Ohio’s energy and economic future.

All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual. - Albert Einstein

 

 

 

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