The Demand for Energy and Steel
Mark Green
Posted May 7, 2012
There’s a good story going on in Lorain, Ohio, a steel town that has seen ups and downs. Thanks to the surge in production of energy from shale in neighboring Pennsylvania, the current trend is decidedly up.
John Wilkinson, who manages U.S. Steel’s Lorain tubular operations facility that makes steel pipe, says good years (2007-08) were followed by the economic downturn in 2009. Layoffs were ordered. Shale has played a big role in turning things around, building demand for steel products including casings to line wells and extraction tubing. Wilkinson:
“Now with the upturn in the economy, the things we’re seeing from the Marcellus Shale and the increase in production, we’ve had the opportunity to recall almost all of those people and actually hire an additional 300 people in the last 18 months.”
Check out this video for a sense of the hope and opportunity that’s come to Lorain through the shale/hydraulic fracturing revolution:
It’s not just one community or one company. Shale plays around the country are generating energy, jobs and economic growth.
About The Author
Mark Green joined API after a career in newspaper journalism, including 16 years as national editorial writer for The Oklahoman in the paper’s Washington bureau. Previously, Mark was a reporter, copy editor and sports editor at an assortment of newspapers. He earned his journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma and master’s in journalism and public affairs from American University. He and his wife Pamela have two grown children and six grandchildren.