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Sean O'Leary's recent op-ed (The Illusion of Marcellus Shale gas' economic benefit) conjures up the old adage from Ronald Reagan: it's not that he's wrong, it's just that he knows so much that just isn't true.
Respectfully, residents of Lycoming County do not need a think tank - with a significant number of their 'researchers' based out of Seattle, Washington - telling them whether they have seen tangible benefits from natural gas development. We can see - and judge - with our own eyes.
It is also important to acknowledge what the Ohio River Valley Institute is: an advocacy organization focused on opposing fossil fuel use and development on every front. They are paid by multi-billion Foundations, such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which gives on average over $500 million each year to advance its agenda.
As a lifelong resident of Lycoming County, I have seen and worked firsthand with the industry. Whether it is natural gas production, gathering and transmission, or the local supply chain critical to each and every step of development, Lycoming County residents have and are benefitting from jobs, good wages, and investment in local communities. Hotels, diners, dry cleaners, car dealerships and a host of other local businesses are regularly patronized by those working in the industry. And the overwhelming number of employees are local residents; they are our neighbors attending school functions, church and other community events.
As the chairman of a local township board of supervisors, I have seen the important projects funded through the industry's Impact Fee; local parks, trails, roads, bridges, levees, and other initiatives that are funded through the $148 Million paid in Impact Fees just to Lycoming County.
Nearly two decades into the shale revolution, natural gas development is now part of the fabric of our local economy. It has offered a lifeline to many families, through job opportunities or royalty payments that put a new roof on the barn or sent a child to college.
And no research report out of Seattle is going to change that.
MATT HENDERSON
Mill Creek Township
Submitted by Virtual Newsroom