In a recent letter to President Barack Obama, West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller praised Obama's support of shale gas development.
In his State of the Union address, the president outlined a focus on an "all of the above" policy on domestic energy, with shale gas playing a starring role. West Virginia, with recent increased exploration of the Marcellus shale gas play, is becoming a growing player in the natural gas industry.
In his letter, Rockefeller urged Obama to continue backing investments for local worker training. Rockefeller added that he would like the president to also encourage fossil energy research for "clean coal technology."
"I want to thank you for your strong State of the Union endorsement for the expanded production of unconventional natural gas from shale resources. The safe and environmentally responsible development of our nation's shale resources presents a tremendous opportunity for our country."
In his letter, Rockefeller explains to the president that West Virginia has "started down the road" of development of the Marcellus shale and is also aware of potential of the Utica shale, a shale formation deeper and believed to contain more gas even than the Marcellus formation.
"The development of these resources offers our region significant benefits, including increased employment and economic activity and a broadened tax base at the local and state levels," Rockefeller wrote. "Perhaps most exciting is the prospect that low-cost natural gas can provide the impetus to revitalize our nation's manufacturing and chemical sectors, which form a strong economic foundation."
Rockefeller's letter, like Obama's address, calls for safe development of the industry.
"Maintaining public confidence in the extraction process and safety of natural gas operations will be critical for development to reach its full potential, especially in areas experiencing a sudden increase in production," Rockefeller wrote. "That is why West Virginia has moved ahead in taking initial steps to update our laws and regulations governing shale gas development."
He also asked for more federal funding for fossil energy research.
"Expanded natural gas production across the United States will increase our nation's energy security, it cannot be the only energy source we encourage," Rockefeller wrote. "Our nation remains dependent on coal for a significant share of our nation's electricity."
He highlights the work of Pierpont Community and Technical College and West Virginia Northern Community College and requests support of manufacturing jobs that could spin off from natural gas development.
"Low and stable natural gas prices are imperative to most manufacturers, many of whom use natural gas for energy, and others -- such as the chemical industry -- who use natural gas as a feedstock for making many value-added products," Rockefeller said.
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