Fueling AmericA
E
nergy utilities have a substantial national presence as an industry, but their real economic importance can best be seen from a local perspective. in both tangible and intangible ways, utilities play a major role in the economic development and quality of life in the communities they serve. A review of the data and conversations with several industry experts identify some of the interesting ways in which utilities—and the natural gas industry as a whole—are serving citizens and energizing local economies today.
First, the Numbers
Studies find that the utility industry provides stable, good-paying jobs to workers across the nation. According to AGA’s statistical publication Gas Facts, there were 121,000 employees of natural gas distribution companies in the United States in 2009, the latest year for which data is available; total payroll was $8.48 billion. These totals include both investor-owned and municipally owned utilities. For the natural gas industry as a whole, the numbers and economic impact are considerably higher. A 2009 study by IHS Global Insight for America’s Natural Gas Alliance found 2.8 million U.S. jobs attributable to
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may 2011 AmericAn GAs
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - May 2011