Pipeline 101: Separate Fact from Fiction at Partnership Event on Nov. 11

As U.S. oil imports rise and gasoline prices drop, there's an increasing amount of information in the news and on the Web about oil and gas in Ohio and the country, as well as horizontal drilling, and, of course, pipelines.

So what are we supposed to believe? Find out for yourself on Wednesday, Nov. 11, when the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership presents "Pipeline 101," a seminar featuring several representatives from the oil and gas industry.

Speakers will include Mike Chadsey of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, Peter Lidiak of the American Petroleum Institute, Dylan Borchers of Bricker & Eckler, Attorneys at Law, and Arthur Diestel of Spectra Energy. Doug Lane, chair of the Stark County Chamber Association and president of the North Canton Area Chamber of Commerce, will emcee.

The event will take place Nov. 11 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Tozzi's on 12th. Admission is free and hors d'oeuvres, beer and wine will be available. Registration is requested for planning purposes.

Sponsorships are $200 and include a display table at the event.

For more information or to register, visit www.choosestark.com.

Education Attainment Rates, Local Training Initiatives Point to Promising Economic Future for Stark County

Recent data cited by the Stark Education Partnership indicates that education attainment levels among Canton adults ages 18 to 24 exceed both the state and national averages.

According to the data, released by the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 60 percent of Canton residents in that age group have taken post-secondary classes or gone on to earn a degree, a figure higher than the state (55.3%) and national (54.7%) averages.

A recent report by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington D.C. think tank, emphasized the importance of education to a local economy: "Overwhelmingly, high-wage states are states with a well-educated workforce. There is a clear and strong correlation between the educational attainment of a state's workforce and median wages in the state."

This news comes on the heels of the announcement in August by Stark State College to establish a natural gas and oil drilling training center as part of a satellite academic center in Downtown Canton. This direct partnership between a local college and the energy industry will better prepare skilled laborers for workforce.

The Stark Education Partnership collaborates with educators, businesses, and civic and community leaders to foster sustainable improvement in schools throughout the county. Furthermore, Stark County is well-positioned to remain competitive in the years ahead, with four-year universities such as Kent State Stark, Malone, Mount Union and Walsh, as well as the education available in technology and the trades at Stark State, one of Ohio's premier community and technical colleges.

Pro Football Hall of Fame's 'Village' Concept An Exciting Development for Stark County

The Stark Oil & Gas Partnership has a great working relationship with the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton and is grateful for their support of the Partnership's programs and initiatives.

It was exciting to learn of the Hall of Fame's idea to create a village around the shrine that would change the face of not only that area but all of Canton and Stark County. The prospect of including a convention center and a four-star hotel turned heads in this area and at the national level, with leadership of the National Football League and its 32 team owners.

"For starters we have the Hall of Fame here, and we have this incredible metaphor for excellence," Hall of Fame president David Baker told The Repository. "No one thought Kissimmee, Florida, would be what it is today...Most people don't know Disney World is located in Kissimmee. Look at what they did."

Whatever shape the Hall of Fame's plans ultimately take, the ongoing growth of the internationally known museum will only serve to strengthen Stark County's economy, provide more jobs, and improve the region's quality of life—all things to which the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership is dedicated.

Ohio at the Center of USA's Surge to World Energy Dominance

“The volume just keeps going up and up.”

That sentence highlighted a report on the Crain’s ClevelandBusiness website that outlined how oil and gas producing states outside of Texas and Oklahoma are driving the surge in U.S. production.

“The Marcellus and Utica shale plays continue to become a larger slice of the nation’s energy pie,” said the report, which points out that the progress in the region is beginning to dwarf that of other oil-producing regions in the country.

A separate report at CantonRep.com indicated that the Utica Shale had surpassed the 1,000-well mark for wells listed as drilled, drilling or producing.

Those encouraging reports were followed by data from theEnergy Information Administration  indicating that in April the U.S. produced 2 million more barrels per day of oil and natural gas liquids than Saudi Arabia, “the largest difference ever recorded between the two nations.” The report went on to state that such an “energy miracle has been made possible by the shale oil and gas booms” in states around the country.

As the article on the Motley Fool website points out: “People who think America’s oil boom will prove to be short lived fail to realize that the United States has some of the largest shale formations in the world.”

The article points out that the shift in energy dominance from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East to the U.S. continues, offering “more stable energy prices, scores of new high-quality jobs, and increased world stability.”

Stark County and the surrounding region are playing an important role in that shift, and stand to benefit for years to come from the oil and gas exploration and drilling taking place in the Utica and Marcellus shale plays.

How One Foundation Works to Reverse the Once-Supportive Position of Environmental Groups on Natural Gas Exploration

It’s remarkable to think that just a few years ago leading environmental groups were heralding natural gas as the key to a “climate-friendly energy supply.”

In fact, that phrase is taken from a statement by Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, in a 2008 speech. For at least a decade before that, green activists were hailing natural gas as being “inherently cleaner than coal or oil.”

But the rhetoric suddenly began to change a few years ago, and, according to one leading philanthropic publication, it’s traceable to an anti-fracking opposition campaign being funded by the Park Foundation, a small organization based in New York.

“Gas Heat,” an article published in Philanthropy Roundtable, concluded that “The morphing of natural gas from promising next step to ‘worse than oil and coal,’ as some activists now claim, happened almost overnight.”

The report tells the astonishing account of how the Park Foundation “uses focused academic, media and activist grants to redirect a policy debate.” (The foundation's website says that Park "supports public interest media that raises awareness of critical environmental, political and social issues to promote a better informed citizenry in the U.S.")

"Gas Heat" is a remarkable story, worth reading to understand the Park Foundation's one-sided tactics. Click here to read it on the Philanthropy Roundtable website.

Canton Seminar Focuses on Energy Opportunities for Minorities, Women

More than 100 people assembled at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Event Center in Canton on June 10 for “Energize Canton,” a half-day event organized by the Ohio office of the American Petroleum Institute. The seminar was presented as a community conversation about the energy industry and focused career opportunities available for minorities and women, particularly in Canton and Stark County.

Dave Kirven speaks

Dave Kirven, chairman of the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership, participated in a panel discussion in his role as business agent for the East Central Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council.  Dave emphasized the opportunities available in the trades and the advantages of entering those careers.

Ron Ponder of WHBC radio served as master of ceremonies for the day. Mayor William Healy of Canton spoke to the group about opportunities in the city and responded to some questions from the audience.

For more coverage of the event, please click here to read a review from The Repository in Canton.

2014 Golf Outing Set for June 19

The second annual Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership Golf Outing is set for Monday, June 16 at Shady Hollow Country Club in Massillon.

The event sold out last year and we're on course to do the same this year as well. Cost is $500 for a foursome, $125 for an individual, and $35 if you'd like to join us only for the steak dinner afterward. Players in the event will receive a complimentary lunch at the turn. As we did last year, we'll also have a putting contest as part of the event.

Our speaker at the dinner will be State Sen. Scott Oelslager, who will give us an update on the Utica Shale.

Sponsorships are also available. For information on sponsoring or playing in the event, email us at rsvp@choosestark.com or call us at 330-451-6207. To pay on line or to download the registration/sponsorship flier, click on this link: 2014 Golf Outing Registration.