Wolf administration tracks shale employment differently than Corbett
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
StateImpact Pennsylvania reports that the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry has changed the way it counts Marcellus Shale industry employment.
Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett said that the shale industry supported more than 200,000 jobs in the state. In 2011, the labor department began publishing Marcellus Shale Fast Facts. It was a monthly booklet that boasted 200,000 jobs in 30 “ancillary” industries like steel workers and road construction workers that weren’t necessarily tied to the shale industry.
Under Governor Tom Wolf’s administration, Marcellus employment is accounted for much differently. An economic software analysis tool is used to calculate the number of individuals directly employed as well as those in related industries. During the third quarter of 2014, there were 89,314 jobs counted in the Marcellus industry. According to the old method of calculating job numbers, this number is slightly more than 160,000 jobs fewer.
Via: StateImpact Pennsylvania > What happened to 160,000 fracking jobs? Under Wolf, the numbers change
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.