Op-Ed Defends Utica Shale Drilling and Its Effect on Ohio Counties

By -
From Crain's Cleveland Business:
Ted Auch argues in a Aug. 26 op-ed that opponents of the Lake Erie offshore wind project should be swayed to support the project by guilt over Cleveland's reliance on Utica shale natural gas development for much of its energy needs. His rationale is based on his contention that fracking has made the rural region of the state where Utica development has occurred a sacrifice zone rife with economic and environmental devastation. 
But Cleveland residents can rest assured — there is no need to lose sleep over using natural gas produced here in the Buckeye State, because most people who live along the Ohio River simply don't share Auch's view on the shale development taking place in their corner of the state. If they did, one would think "Keep It in the Ground" gubernatorial candidate Dennis Kucinich's "ban fracking" campaign would have captured at least 25% of the vote in one of the state's top-10 natural gas producing counties in the May Democratic primary. But it didn't. Not even close in those counties. And for good reason — there is also simply no factual evidence to support Kucinich and Auch's anti-fracking claims.

For example, Auch repeats the common myth that "very few of the jobs in the Appalachian shale fields, or pipeline construction sector, go to Ohioans, let alone union members." But in fact, shale-related activities have supported thousands of union jobs in Ohio. As Ohio Laborers District Council pipeline specialist Ray Hipsher recently said, "The shale industry is hiring local workforce. That's going to keep the money in the community, and the laborers doing the work are going to take pride and care of the quality of their work, because we are your neighbors."
Read on by clicking here.

Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Popular posts from this blog

Fracktivist in Dimock Releases Carefully Edited Video, Refuses to Release the Rest

By -
Image
From Energy in Depth: There is something very strange going on along Carter Road, in Dimock, Pennsylvania, and I’m not speaking of natural gas, methane migration, contamination, litigation or even the extensive water testing there by the EPA and others.  No, I’m talking about a new “Watergate” conspiracy, complete with 18 minutes of missing tape (well, video, actually). It seems the ever-present Green Party member and  naturist   Vera Scroggins  (a/k/a  Vera Duerga ) has posted a video of Craig Sautner meeting with the EPA.  Mysteriously, the video is but 14 seconds in length, cutting off conversation in what is obviously mid-stream.  It raises a question Craig Sautner, like  Ronald Reagan in Kings Row , might have asked, “Where’s the rest of me?’  Carter Road, isn’t Kings Row, of course, (at least not until you arrive at  the mansion Scott Ely, one of the Dimock litigants, is building with his royalty money ), but there appears to be a whole lot of film editing going on there to fi
Read more

The Second Largest Oil and Gas Merger - Cabot and Cimarex

By -
Image
       Due to investor pressure, the U.S shale drillers are being pushed to improve financial and operational performance after a few years of poor returns. Even though the industry has improved its numbers, when compared to last year, investors still want more to be done for them to earn more money.      That's why two mid-tier shale drillers, Cabot and Climarex, have decided to merge in order to eliminate $100 million in annual costs, which means more money for the investors. This all-stock transaction is valued at about $7.4 billion, which is relatively high for the oil and gas sector.      The new entity will be renamed and the headquarters located in Houston, Texas. Cabot shareholders will own 49.5 percent of the new entity, and Climarex the rest.       The Cimarex-Cabot merger will address the investor's demand for a higher amount of returning cash. The initial plan is to pay a 50-cent-per-share special dividend on closing the deal while offering a quarterly variable div
Read more

Is a Strong Oil Demand Expected This Year?

By -
Image
  According to the world's largest oil traders, global oil demand is set for a rebound. Between now and the end of 2022, global consumption is expected to increase by up to 8 million barrels each day. Vitol Group, the world's largest oil trader, supports this statement.  In an interview with Bloomberg, Vitol's chief executive Russell Hardy said, "We'll need all eight cylinders to get through 2022". This, of course, is due to the lower than average demand for oil at the moment. Reopening economies and Asian markets will create a strong demand rebound by the end of this year and in 2022.  Although the demand for jet fuel will slowly increase, it will still be below average at the end of the year. Nevertheless, a surge in petrochemicals will offset the expected delay in jet fuel demand. Last year, the oil surplus reached a record of 1 billion barrels. This excess is already more than halfway drained, and experts believe it will be depleted by the third quarter th
Read more