Marcellus Shale: A Bright Future?

Del. Tim Manchin (D-Marion) knows the answer.  “Wetzel County has the state's highest unemployment rate, while the hotels are inundated with out-of-state workers,” Manchin said at a November 14 committee meeting of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in Charleston.

Wetzel County citizens are watching the natural gas industry flourish in their own backyards, while RVs and trucks with license plates from Texas, Louisiana and other far flung states roll into our community to do the jobs local workers should be doing. 

In a region that has both high unemployment as well as a trained, professional workforce of men and women ready and anxious to work there is absolutely no reason to import large numbers of out-of-state workers.  

Dominion and other energy companies are big on publicizing their commitment to local communities and spread a lot of token donations around to local organizations.  However, big public relations campaigns and a few donations aren’t going to help Wetzel County’s biggest problem – unemployment.  If the energy companies are truly committed to contributing to our local communities, whose natural resources mean billions to their bottom line, they need to hire locally. 

Local workers mean paychecks stay in their communities and in turn help everyone in the local economy flourish.  Without investing in local workers the only ones who will flourish from Marcellus Shale are big energy and their investors.

We’re not ready to sit back and watch big energy make billions at the expense of local communities that are already struggling.  We want Marcellus Shale, and the natural gas industry that can be built upon it, to benefit both the natural gas companies and local communities.  This goal is now being addressed by a document called “The Marcellus Principles.”  The Marcellus Principles is a common sense set of guidelines that will help ensure local residents benefit from the natural resources in their own backyards.   We are asking local workers, community members, elected officials and corporations to all sign on to the Marcellus Principles for the good of all involved in the booming Marcellus Shale gas industry.

The Marcellus Principles take the stand that West Virginia’s most important natural resource are its people.  As long as the natural gas industry can remember if they want to build and develop here, they need to hire local workers so the communities and companies can share a prosperous future together.

Dave Efaw, Secretary Treasurer
 WV State Building & Construction Trades Council