MORGANTOWN — To better understand where local residents stand on issues surrounding growing oil and natural gas industries, Charleston-based firm Orion Strategies conducted a survey in the heart of Marcellus/Utica natural gas basin which was mostly positive.
The survey, conducted by live-telephone, polled 600 residents living across three states in the Ohio Valley, from the Parkersburg/Marietta area all the way to Beaver County, Pennsylvania, where Shell is constructing an ethane cracker plant. Other investment projects, now in the tens of billions of dollars, include power plants, natural gas midstream operations and manufacturers.
“This area represents the very heart of the oil and gas region of the Marcellus and Utica where numerous projects are expected over the next decade,” explained Graham Godwin, lead researcher at Orion Strategies. “It is important to see how everyday citizens in the area felt about a number of issues surrounding production of oil and natural gas. Even though there has been almost ten years of public outreach in these three states, there are still swaths of people in this epicenter region of the Marcellus and Utica who can learn more.”
Among those polled, 83 percent support increased production of oil and natural gas in their respective counties while 89 percent agreed with developing oil and natural gas resources so that the U.S. is less dependent on foreign oil and 79 percent agreed that development of oil and natural gas has led to millions of new jobs and economic growth, while also providing significant tax dollars for state and local communities to fund schools, roads and first responders.
A quarter of respondants said that they or someone close to them is employed by the oil and natural gas industry. Sixty-six percent of those polled said they trusted the operations of these industries in their area.
“It is encouraging to know that an overwhelming majority of those polled in the Ohio River Valley support the oil and natural gas industry and appreciate the economic benefits to their local communities and the state,” said Anne Blankenship, director of the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association, in response to Orion’s findings. “We must continue to educate our state residents, not only in the areas in which oil and natural gas activities are prevalent, but throughout the state and region, as we all reap the benefits of the industry’s success and future growth. The results of this poll certainly indicate we are moving in the right direction.”
However, the poll also showed that only 40 percent of respondents believe the energy companies place a priority on hiring local labor.
Greg Kozera, director of marketing for Shale Crescent USA, said the unfolding petrochemical industries in the region aren’t the same as the last time something like this happened and the focus now is on hiring local.
For example, he said, when the shale deposits were at first being explored, West Virginia lacked the equipment and expertise to realize its potential, necessitating the aid of specialists from Texas who have since gone home. The emphasis now is on local labor since there’s a greater personal stake to do well.
“I like to think what’s going on is the message has been out there but they’re finally starting to see where the jobs can come from and that’s the big message,” Kozera said. “They know we have natural gas, fine, but when they can start to see this is our opportunity for real jobs and start growing again, they don’t have to leave.”
He noted that now is the time to make sure there are as few empty seats at the state’s community colleges and technical schools as possible because those degrees and certifications are needed to supply a ready work force which is also cheaper than a four-year degree.
“It’s a win for the state and a win for the individual,” he said.
Original Story: WV NEWS
