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Energy Equals Jobs and Plenty of Them

January 29, 2014 Energy

Governor Corbett’s energy plan stems from a fundamental belief and trust in the job creation benefits of a free market system. It also recognizes that our energy industry, by safely drilling in the Marcellus Shale, is leading the way in creating jobs..

Figures from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry:

Nearly 242,000 new hires in Pa. are supported by industries associated with shale development. 

  • The average wage in the core industries was about $84,400 which was approximately $35,600 greater than the average for all industries.
  • The average wage in the ancillary industries was about $65,200, which was approximately $16,300 greater than the average for all industries.

Raymond James analysts crunched the numbers, and between 2005 and 2012, almost 90 percent of the job growth in Pennsylvania came from oil and gas jobs in the upstream and midstream. That’s the highest percentage of any state, according to analysts Pavel Molchanov and J. Marshall Adkins.

Furthermore, the potential for more job growth remains. The Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) reports that the Governor, DCED Secretary C. Alan Walker, and agency staff continue to be in regular communication with Royal Dutch Shell about a proposed cracker plan in western Pennsylvania.

In an email, DCED Press Secretary Steve Kratz wrote that communications remain positive and they are continuing to progress with an extensive site evaluation and due diligence process. Shell continues to advance through a number of key benchmarks in the process. 

In the last four months, Shell has secured ethane commitments, continues to seek additional commitments, and is extremely active at the site, with Horsehead officials confirming there was at least 70 workers at the Horsehead site as recent as last month. 

Shell has also intensified efforts to purchase properties along Route 18.  A traffic study was completed for the half-mile stretch of Route 18, which Shell may relocate to improve public safety. Shell has committed to pay for the entire cost of the potential road relocation.

Kratz wrote:

“The commonwealth is – and remains – optimistic that the site near Monaca, PA will become the home of a state-of-the-art, Shell Petrochemical facility at the conclusion of the evaluation process and we are committed to working with Shell and our regional and local partners to bring thousands of jobs to Pennsylvania.”