Ohio’s oil and gas hot spots lag in overall employment
Thursday, January 5, 2023
A review of state data shows the counties with the most oil and gas production lag behind the rest of Ohio in terms of employment rates, according to Energy News Network.
Employment rates in Belmont, Carroll, Guernsey, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe and Noble counties have fallen short of the state average every year since 2010. The data contrasts what supporters of the industry believed would happen — the shale boom would create jobs.
According to a report commissioned by the industry-funded Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program, the shale industry was expected to create 204,000 jobs in Ohio as soon as 2015.
However, reports by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services show a net increase of less than 21,000 jobs in core and supporting industries since 2012.
Learn more: Energy News Network > After the Boom: Why Ohio’s top oil and gas producing counties lag in jobs
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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.