Editor:
In 2011, the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) released the Ohio Oil and Gas Industry Economic Impact Study. The Study, conducted by Kleinhenz & Associates, recognized the significant impact of both the current oil and gas industry, as well as the economic and job potential of the Utica-Point Pleasant Shale formation. The report was met with skepticism, with critics making claims of skewed exaggeration.
Today, barely a year later, billions of dollars have been invested in our state, and a recent study conducted by IHS-Cera on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, shows 38,000 Ohio jobs have been generated thanks to the development of our local energy resource. Our state has also jumped from 48th to fourth in overall job creation, and in the Midwest, Ohio ranks first in this category.
...
The thousands of jobs created -- and the billions of dollars in Ohio investments -- are a glimpse of what's to come in the years ahead ... and we are just getting started.
Rhonda Reda
Executive Director
Ohio Oil & Gas Energy
Education Program
Read the full letter on the Daily Record's website.