Marcellus Shale’s Broad-Reaching Economic Impact

More than 150 miles from the nearest gas well, I found signs of economic revival because of the Marcellus Shale drilling.

Last week, I joined state Sen. Andy Dinniman for a tour of a Chester County manufacturing facility that has rebounded from the recession by focusing its business on innovation in gas drilling.

Schramm Inc. has been a fixture in West Chester for more than a century and has survived the ups and downs of the economy. The 2008 recession forced the layoff of a third of its workforce, but energy exploration brought a quick recovery. The company has nearly doubled its workforce in the past two years, hiring 90 workers in the past 12 months.

This is a company that recognized the opportunity and worked aggressively to compete. That means underground shale in western Pennsylvania is good news for the economy in the southeast, as well.

Traditionally a manufacturer of drilling equipment, Schramm is developing state-of-the-art mobile drilling rigs for the Marcellus industry.

During my visit, I saw the testing of the new Schramm TXDi Telemast drilling rig. Targeted for use in the Marcellus drilling regions, the rig employs new technology to improve safety for operators as well as better monitoring of operations.

Have Some Fun and Put Your Business In Play

The Tri-County Oil and Gas Expo Committee is hosting a Business to Business Expo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 19 at Washington County Fairgrounds. The group is also hosting a Marcellus Mingle from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday May 18.

The events are great opportunities to see how the growing energy industry could benefit your business or get your business in front of energy executives.

Registration is easier than ever and just a click away. For more information, click HERE.

Preparing the Next Generation for Jobs

In order to introduce the wide variety of career opportunities to the next generation of workers, the Washington County legislative delegation is pleased to host a Youth Energy Forum for Educators this at 9 a.m. this Friday.

Bradley DeiCas, Director, has graciously offered use of the Mon Valley Career and Technology Center at 5 Guttman Avenue in Charleroi for the event. 

I am excited to offer this opportunity for Washington and Westmoreland County educators and leaders from the coal and natural gas industries to meet.

Webinars Cover New Gas Drilling Law

Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection will conduct a series of weekly webinars on the implementation of Act 13 of 2012, the new gas regulation legislation. The first webinar will be a general overview of the law.

Subsequent webinars will focus on permitting and notifications, environmental protections and enhancements and inspections and enforcement.

Registration is required for each webinar, which will run from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and will be limited to the first 500 participants. Webinar dates, topics and registration links are as follows:

• Today - general overview (Register)
• Tuesday, April 3 - permitting and notifications (Register)
• Tuesday, April 10 - environmental protections and enhancements (Register)
• Tuesday, April 17 - inspection and enforcement (Register)