Energy Today - April 25, 2011
Rayola Dougher
Posted April 25, 2011
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Marcellus Shale Jobs Booming: Career options in our region are expanding mightily due to Marcellus shale development... There are openings for clerical and administrative positions, finance and information technology jobs, and legal and human-resources positions. Further, non-shale employers who provide products and services such as steel and trucking to shale companies need employees as well...How many years can we expect these jobs to be needed in this region? With Marcellus shale exploration and development still being in its infancy, Scheurman says it's difficult to pinpoint how long production will continue here. Best news of all, however, is that he says it has been estimated that Marcellus shale development could continue for upwards of 50 years, "with well-paying jobs associated with this sustained production at every step of the way." Furthermore, the prospect of exploring the Utica shale is an additional shale development opportunity for the region. Wall Street Journal: Time For a Cease-Fire In the War on Oil: Despite the president's repeated claims that he's been "encouraging" domestic oil production, administration policies have been driving drilling rigs out of the Gulf (six deepwater rigs in addition to the Noble have left the Gulf, with two more possibly on the way out). The overall result has been lower domestic oil production, slower economic growth, job losses and higher energy prices. In the immediate aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill, President Obama announced a six-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling. According to the administration's estimates, this cost nearly 19,000 jobs in the Gulf states alone--even though federal researchers then cut the figure by an ad hoc factor of 40%-60% to make the results more palatable.
Houston Chronicle: Eager for More Permit Progress: A few major oil company executives say they are growing more optimistic that oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico is on the rebound now that regulators have again started issuing drilling permits after the BP oil spill. But they continue to argue that the government must speed up the permit-approval process or operators could be forced to move rigs and other resources out of the Gulf...Still, Shafer agrees that if permits don't come faster, the Gulf of Mexico will not be able to support as many rigs as it has historically, and operators may be forced to shift resources elsewhere. According to a report last week by British-based consultant Wood Mackenzie, deep-water oil and gas production in the offshore basin could decline by 375,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2011 as a result of the Gulf slowdown, and may not exceed pre-spill levels until 2016.
Additional Resources:
The Star-Telegram: Range Resources Drills 'Fabulous' Horizontal Well in Panhandle
The Advocate: Natural Gas Can Help Fuel Economy