Economic

The Pennsylvania Senatethis week confirmed Democratic Gov.Tom Wolf’s former energy adviser,David Sweet, to serve on the state Public Utility Commission (PUC) 49-0. Wolf nominated Sweet to the commissioner’s seat in May. He joined Wolf’s administration in April 2015 to focus on energy and economic development issues. It’s unclear whether Wolf intends to replace Sweet. “David’s extensive background in economic development and finance will lend itself well to the commission’s work and its mission, balancing the needs of consumers and utilities,” said PUC Chairwoman Gladys Brown.

A bipartisan group of more than 30 Virginia state lawmakers has come out in support of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP), saying the project would “be a major step forward in promoting” Virginia’s “economic and environmental health.”

A bipartisan group of more than 30 Virginia state lawmakers has come out in support of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP), saying the project would “be a major step forward in promoting” Virginia’s “economic and environmental health.”

During 2014, the oil and natural gas industry in Colorado accounted for $31.7 billion in overall economic impact, including 102,700 jobs worth $7.6 billion in compensation, according to a University of Colorado (UC) study released Tuesday.

A new Cleveland State University (CSU) study predicts that Ohio’s Utica Shale industry could help create 10,505 full-time jobs by 2019, mainly as the result of post-production opportunities in areas such as the supply chain and the petrochemical industry.

Three state grant programs focused on the Texas Triangle of Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin to promote natural gas use in transportation resulted in $128 million in economic stimulus between 2012 and 2014, according to a report released Monday by the University of Texas, San Antonio (UTSA).

Sempra Energy officially broke ground on the company’s Cameron liquefied natural gas (LNG) project on Thursday, just weeks after receiving final authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that cleared the way for it to export up to 1.7 Bcf/d of domestically produced LNG to non-free trade agreement (FTA) countries (see Daily GPI, Sept. 10).

Eagle Ford Shale oil and natural gas production generated more than $87 billion in economic output for Texas last year, and that contribution to the state’s economy is projected by researchers to grow to $137 billion by 2023.

The empty, windswept plains of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where tumbleweeds the size of SUVs roll down the highways and blinding dust storms stretch for miles, belie the growing prosperity of rural, mile-wide communities, with some fast food workers making $20/hour and motel rooms going for $400 a night.