Op-ed: Natural gas and blue-collar workers – working in tandem to power West Virginia
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Labor Day is a time to celebrate the generations of blue-collar workers who built our cities, roads, bridges and communities from the ground up. While much has changed since the holiday was created in 1894, the interconnectedness of American energy and skilled labor remains constant and consistent.
Whether it's to power homes, schools and small businesses, drive manufacturing growth, advance environmental goals, provide for worker safety, or create opportunities for local high school, trade, and college grads, our world is brighter because of West Virginia natural gas and the construction and union trades working in lockstep.
In fact, West Virginia's legacy as an energy titan can be attributed to the skilled tradesmen and women that work to deliver reliable, clean and affordable energy to consumers here and across the country. In addition to being the most sustainable form of energy, natural gas supports the evolution of our economy. Used as both a fuel source and the raw materials for key manufacturing processes, natural gas and associated liquids are one of the most abundant and versatile fuel sources around.
Think about it - natural gas use extends to almost every part of our daily lives, and it takes America's workers to ensure all consumers benefit from our energy resources.
HEAT AND POWER GENERATION
Every time you plug in your cell phone to charge, crank up the air conditioning, or turn on your TV, that's natural gas hard at work. With 60% of homes in the United States using natural gas to power homes, dry clothes, and fuel ranges and ovens for cooking it is widely considered the most cost effective household energy source. Even more, natural gas works in providing back-up energy as renewable and intermittent sources like wind and solar come online, bringing surety in securing the power grid's reliability.
TRANSPORTATION
Further, compressed natural gas (CNG) is being used in trucks and mass transit across the nation to help reduce vehicle-related greenhouse gas emissions and tailpipe pollutants. Natural gas can also be seen in the aviation sector, contributing to the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and powering onsite microgrids to enhance reliability at airports and other similar locations.
As the largest producing region of this clean and flexible energy source, Appalachia's access to affordable and on-demand natural gas provides further opportunity for businesses to invest into our state. We've witnessed unprecedented manufacturing investments come to West Virginia in the last decade, many of which would be obsolete if it weren't for the shale-driven advantages found here.
ENERGY ACCESS
Home to the Marcellus and Utica geologic formations, which are among the world's most prolific shale gas basins, West Virginia has access to an abundance of natural gas that provides a competitive edge when compared to other states. This low-cost fuel provides companies the advantage of affordable operating costs while also contributing to West Virginia's economy.
Moreover, these large-scale construction projects require thousands of skilled labor workers to bring them online, and hundreds more to sustain long-term operations.
PROXIMITY TO MAJOR TRADING HUBS
West Virginia is positioned within a day's drive of 50% of the U.S. population, meaning businesses are able to reach consumers quickly and efficiently. More than 70% of North American polyethylene demand is also within a day's drive, making the product to consumer process cost nearly 25% lower.
SKILLED AND READY WORKFORCE
As home to a higher-than-average population of STEM graduates, Appalachia has multiple partnerships between industry and high schools across the region providing a clear line of sight into post-graduate career opportunities. Even among seasoned professionals, workers elect to stay within natural gas careers as opposed to entering into renewable projects. West Virginia has invested into research institutions, including the West Virginia University Center for Innovation in Gas Research and Utilization (CIGRU) where experts come together to conduct research relevant to the industry and its workers.
These reasons, and many more, are a core part of what makes the blue-collar workers of West Virginia so effective.
But we would not be seeing these same success in the Mountain State without the use and availability of natural gas. With nearly 18,000 direct jobs related to natural gas across the state, and 73,000 in indirect jobs, the availability of good-paying, stable careers in this industry has never been greater.
But there is still work to be done.
For example, despite its position as one of the nation's leading energy producers, West Virginia still ranks in the bottom ten for in-state power generation from natural gas. Our state has the ability to provide energy for consumers across the nation, yet still relies on other fuel sources to assist in generating electricity for consumers. The legislature's passage of the Grid Stabilization and Security Act is a promising start to growing and sustaining natural gas electric generation capacity, while employing more workers along the way, here in West Virginia.
Every day, West Virginia operators develop a fuel that's relied upon by consumers nationwide. By investing in our skilled workforce and these projects using our energy resources, our state can safely and sustainably power the country for generations to come.
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Charlie Burd is the executive director of the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia. He lives in Parkersburg.