The American Petroleum Institute (API) has launched a campaign to spread the news about jobs and other contributions the oil and gas industry makes to communities nationwide.

API said the “Energy Works” campaign will “tell the story of the industry’s workers and the communities in which they live” through a series of videos available on the campaign’s website. The campaign also includes print and online advertising.

“The oil and natural gas industry has been a major job creator at a time when overall U.S. job creation has stagnated,” API said. “It has created thousands of jobs while other industries have been losing jobs or, at best, holding steady.

“Since the recession began, the oil and natural gas industry has grown by more than 86,000 jobs. In contrast, the economy as a whole has lost five million, according to numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

Separately, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has been operating its “Shale Works for US” campaign to educate the public and business community on shale’s potential economic impact in Ohio, said it will launch this week a nationwide campaign highlighting the potential of shale energy.

The Ohio campaign includes grassroots recruitment, advertising and educational outreach to businesses and community groups, according to the Chamber, which said similar efforts are already under way in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

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