Natural gas, oil, coal inventory could power next industrial transformation.

West Virginia is a state that was forged by hard-working individuals, first along the untamed wilderness then known as Virginia, then later as part of a new state borne from the blood of the Civil War.Its rugged hills and mountains made some parts of life more difficult. There are few great plains to farm, thus Mountaineers were hunters and those who used their hands to build.And soon it was discovered that the state was home to vast coal reserves, which have been mined since, first by hand and now more so by machinery.
In the early days, the hours were long, the wages low and the dangers plenty. But it was a living, and West Virginians built a reputation as hard workers.There is little doubt that coal — and the people who mined it — played a huge factor in this country’s development as an industrial power, as well as subsequent victories in world conflicts.Now as a new age dawns in which coal’s value has decreased but vast reserves of natural gas and oil are reachable through fracking, the state is poised again to enjoy newfound wealth and prosperity.It couldn’t come at a better time, as coal’s decline, as well as other market forces, has state leaders struggling to balance the budget.So it was with great anticipation that we began work on this year’s Annual Report section on Energy and Industry, which appears in today’s edition.We, along with the majority of our readers, know that development of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which is nearing the start of construction, as well as other pipelines, will fuel a boom in the natural gas industry that will rival and likely surpass the one seen earlier this century.Not surprisingly, local and national companies are ramping up operations, preparing for the jobs that will develop with pipeline construction and with increased drilling and operations.North Central West Virginia has become home to a number of national powerhouses in the energy field, including Dominion, EQT, Antero, Southwest, MarkWest and others.The region is also home to local and relocated companies that subcontract with major corporations, providing invaluable services — and jobs — to power the industry to success.It is exciting to watch this development unfold, and encouraging to listen as industry and community leaders work together toward a successful path.A boom of this size will require a dramatic increase in workforce, which requires training, living quarters, food and amenities.
Once the pipeline is built, some of those jobs will go away, but they will be replaced with other, more permanent ones, like jobs drilling and maintaining wells, as well as jobs in industries that should “follow the gas” to the Mountain State.The “downstream” possibilities with the byproducts of what is known as wet gas are almost limitless, as the chemicals are used in a number of industries.With one cracker planned in nearby Ohio and others rumored for either West Virginia or Southern Pennsylvania, companies that use the byproducts for manufacturing would be foolish not to seize on the proximity to lower transportation costs.All of which could lead to the nation’s next industrial revolution, bringing more jobs back to the United States and West Virginia.Some may call all of this a pipe dream. And to an extent, they would be correct.It all starts with a pipe — pipeline, that is — that will send some natural gas to other markets, but only after it has been stripped of the valuable byproducts.Natural gas being piped away will be for heating and power generation, leaving West Virginia and other nearby states to benefit from the downstream capabilities.And when this occurs, we won’t be dreaming of better times — we’ll be experiencing them.