Tell Me What's Really Goin On - Conclusion

Well, it is obvious to me that drilling and mining is a way of life here in Central WV.  They are not experiencing anything new like we are in SW Pennsylvania.  In fact, it would probably be a cultural and economic shock if this type of work left this region.

I did have dinner tonight with a colleague from Parkersburg, West Virginia, which sits in the mid-Ohio Valley across the river from Marietta, OH.   She says they are seeing first-hand evidence of a Marcellus Shale boom.  In fact, the Marietta campground, she says, is full of campers that are occupied by shale workers from all over the country.

So, in short my finding is this: It's business as usual in Gilmer and Braxton Counties, but it is a shale phenomenon in SWPA and SEOH.  I just hope Ohio and Pennsylvania do as good of a job disguising drilling as West Virginia has done.  As I mentioned in last night's report, the mountains and woods down here appear as beautiful as I have seen them.  Eventually, like West Virginia, PA and OH will adopt this new culture of work.  Until our workforce development initiatives in those areas began to pay off, I guess we will continue to see campers filling up the state campgrounds. 

In conclusion I would like to say that the people of West Virginia are some of the kindest, most gracious folks I have ever met.  My colleagues at FCI Gilmer today prepared an excellent Bean & Cornbread lunch for me and the other visitors.  The nice lady at the local Rite Aid carded me for beer, which reminder me that my license expires next week...thanks again to her for thinking I might be under 21.  And, despite the brilliance of my GPS, I did get lost a couple of times.  To every person from whom I asked directions, thank you for not treating me like some lost city kid.

Back to Pittsburgh tomorrow.  Monday morning, it's back to work on plans to open our Energy/Shale Career Center.  If nothing else, this trip has convinced me that my region does not have the working legacy to quickly adapt to drilling Marcellus Shale.  It's time to get to work on preparing our first generation of natural gas drillers!