Maryland – Energy and Jobs

Mark Green
Posted April 18, 2014

While Maryland isn’t among the country’s leading producers of oil and natural gas, the industry’s employment and economic impact in the state is significant. That impact, as measured by a PwC study:

• 75,400 jobs supported in 2011 (most recent year for which comprehensive data is available), accounting for 2.2 percent of the state’s total employment.
• Nearly 18,000 direct oil and natural gas industry jobs
• $4.1 billion in labor income – wages, salaries and benefits, as well as proprietors’ income from jobs directly or indirectly supported by industry through operational spending, dividend payments and capital investments.
• $7 billion in value added – additional value created at a particular stage of production, including employee compensation, proprietors’ income, income to capital owners from property and indirect business taxes that are borne by consumers rather than producers.

In terms of energy infrastructure the Cove Point liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project in southern Maryland figures to be an important part of a strategy to help the U.S. become a leader in the global LNG marketplace – boosting domestic production and job creation while offering a valuable commodity to friendly buyers overseas.

The facility got conditional approval from the Energy Department for the $3.8 billion project that would add export capabilities to a facility that was built to import LNG. About 3,000 jobs will be created during the three-year construction phase, and permanent jobs will be added to the facility as well, according to Dominion, Cove Point’s owner. The Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO: “Area building trades unions are urging support for a $3.8 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility being planned by Dominion at its Cove Point facility.”

For host Calvert County, the project means an additional $40 million a year on average in just the first five years after the facility opens, which is a significant boost in revenue to local government (chart). Dominion estimates the facility will create about $125 million per year in added value, even during the construction phase.

The oil and natural gas industry, which is safely and responsibly developing the energy to run America’s economy and to support modern every-day living, is making an impact in Maryland and other states, supporting jobs and making the investments to boost employment and stimulate local and regional growth.