Energy Today - April 26, 2011

Rayola Dougher
Posted April 26, 2011

iStockAnalyst: Gas Jobs Waiting for Trained Workforce: Project engineer, gas marketing administrator, landman, heavy equipment operator, compressor technician, business development director, regulatory clerk, petrophysicist. In late March, the member companies of the Marcellus Shale Coalition advertised hundreds of open positions they want to fill in Pennsylvania or just over the border in New York. Three years into the gas-drilling boom, the job listings testify to the continued need for workers with a variety of skills to propel the growing industry. Researchers with the Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center estimate shale drilling will require between 3,700 and 15,000 direct jobs in central and northern Pennsylvania by 2013 and an additional 8,100 to 13,500 direct jobs in southwestern Pennsylvania by 2014. The Daily Caller: The Truth About America's Oil and Gas Companies - Part II: The United States oil and natural gas industry does not receive taxpayer-subsidized payments. Given the recent publicity surrounding this issue, this statement may come as a surprise, yet it is 100 percent true. Also true is that the industry pays more than $86 million to the government every single day and has an effective income tax rate of 41 percent... A fundamental pillar of the U.S. income tax system is that businesses are taxed only on net income. This means that there needs to be some practical method for businesses to recover costs. There are many tax code provisions that allow companies to recover their costs, but tax deductions and cost recovery mechanisms should in no way be confused with subsidies.

My San Antonio: Cibolo Makes Room for Sanjel's Jobs: In a year's time, an oil-field services company based in Canada will be the largest employer in Cibolo. Sanjel (USA) Inc. officials took the wraps off a building in Cibolo on Monday and began construction on a second phrase of operations that will employ as many as 500 within a year's time. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, toured Sanjel's new offices Monday and praised the company for making the investment in the state and in Cibolo. "Texas welcomes job creators," Cornyn said. He said the development of the Eagle Ford shale "is going to be a huge boom," and he characterized it as a gift that will bring employment and high-paying jobs to Texas. Cibolo Mayor Jennifer Hartman called Sanjel's presence "a game-changer" for Cibolo, which has a population of about 18,000.

Additional Resources:

POLITICO: Oil Profits, Rhetoric on the Rise

Fuel Fix Blog: API: Oil Profits Are Good for American Investors, Not Just Execs

FOX Business: Oil Industry Fires Back on Administration's Criticism