Associated Press: “Plenty of folks like Matoushek are eager for the gas, and the royalty checks, to start flowing — including farmers who see Marcellus money as a way to keep their struggling operations afloat. “It’s a depressed area,” Matoushek said. “This is going to mean new jobs, real jobs, not government jobs.” (4/18/10)

Marcellus Shale Coalition Touts Economic Benefits: “Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said the industry complies with environmental regulations.  … “We are eager and ready to work with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, just as we are with every other state government agency and regulatory body, to ensure that safe, responsible, heavily regulated shale gas development continues to drive economic opportunity and job creation in an environmentally responsible way.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/17/10)

Joint natural gas venture will bring more jobs to area: “In terms of hiring, what we anticipate is likely adding about 500 employees over the next five years to accomplish what we will do in our new activities. The vast majority of those employees will be people working in our core operating areas, Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties,” he said. “We are proabably looking at hiring about 100 new employees each year as we ramp up,” he said. “In terms of the types of jobs, they will range from all aspects of the whole drilling operation. … We estimate that for every Atlas employee we hire there’s probably four contractor employees who work for the service companies and others we deal with,” Kupfer said.” (Herald-Standard, 4/18/10)

Thanks to Fracturing, Gas OPEC looks less likely: “Qatar, GECF member and the world’s biggest gas exporter, has invested heavily in building new LNG facilities and is not interested in reducing production. Russia, another of the group’s biggest exporters, no longer supports the idea either, despite recent comments from Gazprom bristling at the success of US shale gas, and its problems with the growing preference for cheaper spot pricing for pipeline gas.” (Financial Times, 3/19/10)

Shale Gas Generating Millions for Local Louisiana Communities: “Mineral lease bonus payments in the Haynesville Shale natural gas area totaled more than $2.1 million this past week for Caddo Parish and Shreveport. Parish government raked in another $1.3 million in advance payments as part of an agreement to allow oil or natural gas to be extracted. The state Mineral Board leased rights to about 165 acres of Caddo public property during its auction in Baton Rouge on Wednesday.” (Associated Press, 4/18/10)

Prosperity 101: PA College President Weighs-in on Shale Gas: “Northeastern Pennsylvania has an opportunity to become part of the solution through the careful and thoughtfully regulated extraction of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. Natural gas emits far less carbon than oil or coal. Other technologies such as nuclear-generated power and wind power also offer significant opportunities, but will take longer to develop. Natural gas is an excellent short-term way to limit pollutants while not sacrificing continued economic growth and prosperity here and abroad.” (Wilkes-Barre (PA) Times-Leader, 4/19/10)

Quicksilver CEO: Plenty of life left in Barnett; And Thanks HF, These Job-Creating Resources Are Now Reachable: “Quicksilver Resources Inc. is about a decade into the Barnett Shale, but it still has another 10 years of projects ahead, the company’s top executive said last week. The Fort Worth-based oil and gas exploration company began leasing in the North Texas gas play back in the early 2000s and now produces 250 million cubic feet equivalent of gas per day from its 162,000-acre leasehold, which runs from Denton County southwest to Bosque County. … “We’ve got a lot of gas up here in this Horn River Basin,” Darden said. The company has drilled four wells to date, one of which was flaring at more than 10 MMcf per day before being hydraulically fractured.” (Fort Worth Business Press, 4/19/10)

About Those Jobs: PA Paper Says College Connects Courses, Gas Industry: “With a new industry bringing truckloads of gas workers from other areas, Pennsylvania College of Technology has begun offering a number of programs to help area residents learn the basic skills needed for employment in the Marcellus Shale region. The process of forging a partnership with industry companies and contractors began about a year ago when a Penn College team, in partnership with the Penn State Cooperative Extension, launched the Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center to act as a central resource for workforce training.” (Williamsport Sun-Gazette, 4/18/10)