[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 31, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H5183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, the bipartisan 
Congressional Natural Gas Caucus convened a congressional field hearing 
on Friday at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, 
Pennsylvania. I am proud to have joined Representatives Gene Green, Tom 
Reed, and Tom Marino to hear from State and local officials and leaders 
on the economic impacts of natural gas production in the Marcellus 
shale region. The hearing offered an insightful look at the benefits of 
the 3,551 gas-producing wells in Pennsylvania.
  One of those benefits is jobs. Today, 30,752 people in Pennsylvania 
are employed in the natural gas industry. This is a 164 percent 
increase since 2009. The average salary is $82,643. Additionally, 
214,302 are employed in ancillary industries, a 7.9 percent increase 
since 2009. In just two rural northern Pennsylvania counties, testimony 
revealed an increase of 4,832 jobs and 226 businesses between 2006 and 
2012. Most importantly, 80 percent of those jobs are now filled by 
local workers.
  Mr. Speaker, the responsible production of natural gas is producing 
energy security and an economic impact that surpasses all expectations.

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