COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The U.S. Chamber's Institute for 21st Century Energy Tuesday launched a new campaign focused on building support for utilizing shale energy resources in Ohio.
The "Shale Works for US" campaign is a national effort designed to build support for the vast economic and energy security benefits of natural gas and oil produced from shale, officials said. The Institute for 21st Century Energy is the energy policy arm of the U.S. Chamber, the world's largest business organization.
"Shale energy has the potential to be an economic game changer for America and for Ohio," said Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the Energy Institute. "Ohioans are already beginning to see the benefits of shale development, but much more shale energy sits below the surface. The Shale Works for US campaign will help educate the public and the business community and demonstrate the ways in which increased shale production will benefit communities across the Buckeye state."
Almost 20% of the Marcellus shale formation -- one of the world's largest -- is in Ohio, Harbert said. Development of shale energy is expected to bring more than 65,000 jobs; contribute $4.86 billion to Ohio's economy; and result in $3.3 billion of labor income (an average of $50,225 per job) by 2014, according to a study commissioned by the Ohio Shale Coalition, a division of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce
"Oil and natural gas production in Ohio is not new, but recent advances in technology will allow for vast quantities of recently discovered shale energy to be produced in a safe, environmentally responsible way," said Linda Woggon, executive director of the Ohio Shale Coalition and executive vice president of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. "This production will not only create jobs for Ohioans, but generate new revenues for localities throughout our state, meaning more money for education and public safety and lower residential property taxes."
Nationally, the Shale Works for US campaign is designed to build a network of communities, businesses and policymakers throughout the states and at the federal level to support the economic, job creation and energy security benefits generated by shale energy, officials said.
The Shale Works for US campaign will include extensive grassroots recruitment, advertising, and educational outreach to businesses and community groups. Similar efforts are underway in Pennsylvania and West Virginia with plans to expand across the country.
SOURCE: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for 21st Century Energy.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.