Govs. John Kasich of Ohio, Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, and Jim Justice of West Virginia have renewed the Tri-State Shale Coalition Agreement for four more years.
The agreement was first reached in 2015. It commits the states to working together on development of the region’s shale resources. That includes presenting a unified front for attracting investment in what is now marketed as “The Shale Crescent.”
Mike Chadsey of the Ohio Oil & Gas Association says his group was glad to hear of the renewal.
“I would classify it as an encouraging step, in that the three states are going to keep talking, going to keep exchanging information and going to keep making sales pitches to folks. If you’re going to locate your facility, look at Shale Crescent USA.”
Shale Crescent projects already in the works include multi-billion dollar cracker plants for Beaver County, Pa., and possibly Belmont County, Ohio.
Mike Chadsey says pushing an identity is important for the region.
“When I say Gulf Coast or Silicone Valley, you know what I’m talking about. So there is an effort that has been under way for several years now to label Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia ‘The Shale Crescent.’ And that’s because we have the third largest natural gas supply in the industrialized world.”
Ohio Gov. John Kasich released a statement on the renewal of the agreement saying it will help “attract new businesses, strengthen workforce development program, spur investments in expanding infrastructure, and boost the delivery of natural gas and natural gas liquids."
