Not Worth It?

If you listen to the anti-drilling crowd's reasons for being against natural gas production, you'll also hear some rather ridiculous claims. Like "natural gas development doesn't really create that many jobs". Or, "natural gas development doesn't really do that much for the economy."

Well, there are several big-time studies that refute their claims. The latest one, by the state of Ohio, found that the state collected $4.78 million from drilling sources during the 2011 fiscal year. Now, that may not sound like a lot, but keep in mind that the industry is just getting started there. In addition, the study found that there is a growing demand for thousands of local workers to fill a variety of good-paying jobs. We're not talking minimum wage here, folks.

For another example, take a look at the Eagle Ford Shale formation in South Texas. It supported 47,097 full-time jobs and generated $25 billion in economic output in the region in 2011, according to a report from the Center for Community and Business Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio's Institute for Economic Development.

Some other figures:
- Pennsylvania made about $3.5 billion in revenue from the Marcellus during 2011
- West Virginia's production contributed about $1.2 billion in revenues

Why, even the energy-soft Obama administration disagrees with the anti-drillers. After giving the OK for drilling on federal lands in Utah, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar issued this statement:

"The president is focused on expanding safe and responsible production of natural gas as part of an all-of-the-above energy strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs,"

He went on to say:

"This agreement is a great example of how collaboration can allow us to uphold America’s conservation values, while bringing growth to Utah’s economy and further reducing our dependence on foreign oil by developing our resources here at home."

It's interesting to note that the same people who try to convince you that gas development is not worth it are now trying to convince our local leaders to issue moratoriums and/or bans on drilling. To our local leaders we say, "Don't waste your time listening to their ridiculous arguments ... it's really not worth it".