American Gas - February 2013 - (Page 19)

and producing fields around the world. The meeting is part of the Parnell administration’s ongoing effort to generate interest from Asian utilities and governments in a large-scale Alaska LNG project. Alaska’s major energy companies and TransCanada Corp. are working on such a project to commercialize the North Slope’s vast gas reserves. Parnell had traveled to Asia in September to promote the project. “These efforts are critical because an Alaska project must compete with other large-scale LNG projects under development around the world,” Parnell said in a release. “We have stability and reliability working in our favor, and a vast, untapped supply, yet we must remain aware of proposed projects in other areas with access to the Pacific Rim.” —Gary James C it y h a l l More Gas, More Jobs North Dakota is just part of the story “A Fracking Miracle” provides first-person narratives of lives transformed, record employment, and an invigorated economy. Nationally, a new study by IHS Global Insight found that unconventional oil and gas development supported more than 1.7 million jobs in the lower 48 states in 2012. The study predicts that number will grow to nearly 3 million in 2020 and to 3.5 million by 2035. The employment figures include production and exploration jobs as well as non-production activity that supports development, including goods and services. “The unconventional oil and gas revolution is having a bigger impact across the country, including in non-producing states, than is generally recognized,” Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of IHS, said in a news release. “The economic and financial links reach out across all states in our highly interconnected national economy.” The top unconventional oil and gas jobproducing state in 2012 was Texas, with 576,084 jobs. Pennsylvania ranked second, with 102,668 jobs, followed by California (96,553), Louisiana (78,968), and Colorado (77,622). North Dakota was sixth with 71,824 jobs. —GJ More Where This Came From: For North Dakotans, hydraulic fracturing has made unemployment as rare as the wild buffalo. BISMARCK, ND — Jobs created by hydraulic fracturing for natural gas and oil resources helped power three North Dakota cities to the top of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent ranking of metropolitan cities with the lowest unemployment rates. Leading the way was Bismarck, with an unemployment rate of 2.2 percent as of October 2012. Fargo ranked second with a 2.8 percent unemployment rate, and Grand Forks came in third with a 3.1 percent rate. “North Dakota is one of the nation’s most remarkable success stories—where free markets and American entrepreneurship are working together to create an economic miracle,” Thomas Pyle, president of the Heritage Foundation’s Institute for Energy Research, said in a news release. “The rising tide of robust energy development made possible by sensible regulation and private land ownership is truly lifting all boats—from farmers who were facing bankruptcy to unemployed machinists who are back catching up on their bills.” The Heritage Foundation released a video in 2012 telling the story of the job creation stimulated by North Dakota’s Bakken shale formation. february 2013 American Gas 19 http://www.utilitypipelineltd.com http://www.utilitypipelineltd.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - February 2013

American Gas - February 2013
Table of Contents
President’s Message
Subject Index
Supplanting Coal, Creating Jobs
Digest
Issues
Updates
Need to Know
By the Numbers
People and Places
Fill ‘er Up—in the Driveway
Europe
State House
City Hall
Wall Street
Elm Street
On the Docket
Profile: Philip B. Jones
Law
Jobs
Buyer’s Guide: Meters
Marketplace
Headway

American Gas - February 2013