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CLEARFIELD – The CCEDC has scheduled an Afterhours Mixer  for Tuesday, March 15th from 4:30-6:30pm.  The mixer will be held at the Clearfield County Economic Development Corporation in Clearfield.  This will be a joint celebration with the Clearfield and DuBois Chambers to welcome the new vice-president of energy development, Paul McCloskey.  This will be a great way to see all that is happening in our county with regard to all forms of energy.  For more information and to make reservations please call the CCEDC at 814-768-7838 or the chamber office at 814-371-5010.

CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Economic Development Corporation has been working hard to pave the way, welcoming the energy industry into Clearfield County.  During November 2010, the CCEDC made the announcement they would be expanding operations and departmentalizing to better serve the growing needs of the county. 

January has brought about that change and now the CCEDC has two departments, the Energy Department and the Development Department, working to better the area and build lasting industry relationships.  The Energy Department will focus on the requirements of all things energy; natural gas, including Marcellus Shale, biofuels, electricity, coal, solar and wind.  Due to the aggressive nature of these businesses as well as the demand for energy related projects, the CCEDC is proud to announce the creation of the department to spur economic growth for Clearfield County. 

In addition to the creation of the new department the CCEDC has expanded its professional staff.  It is with great pleasure they announce Paul McCloskey as the new vice president of Energy Development.  McCloskey will be the face of energy for the CCEDC.  McClosky’s background is in business administration, he earned his degree from Penn State University.  He is an avid outdoorsman and has a passion for research into the Oil & Gas Industry.  His research has included erosion and sediment controls, the fracturing process, PA DEP well permitting process and leasing regulations.  He is a lifelong resident of Clearfield County and currently resides in DuBois with his wife Angie and son Paul. 

The CCEDC is elated about the experience, knowledge and energy that McClosky brings to the organization. He officially joins the CCEDC on Jan. 24.

 The new year has brought other change among the organization as well.  The CCEDC wishes to announce the promotion of Rob Swales to chief executive officer and Jamie Straub to chief operations officer. 

Swales has been with the CCEDC since 2000. He studied economics at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford where he earned his bachelor’s degree.  Rob resides in Clearfield with is children, Denis and Elli.  He serves on the Board for the Clearfield YMCA and the Clearfield Revitalization Corporation. 

Straub started service with the CCEDC in 2005. She attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in business administration.  Straub resides in Rockton with her husband Michael and daughter Hailey.  She serves on the Clearfield Revitalization Corporation’s Economic Restructuring Committee and the DuBois Area Energy Task Force. 

Both Swales and Straub have been certified through the Pennsylvania Economic Development Institute. 

Rhonda Bash has been named vice president of Development for the organization.  Bash has been working in the field of economic development for 33 years. She received a degree in business administration from the DuBois Business College.  She resides in Grampian with her husband Michael.

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Over the past several months, Clearfield County has seen an influx in activity as it relates to the Unconventional Gas Industry, namely the Marcellus Shale play.  Due to the aggressive nature of this business as well as the demand for Energy related projects, the Clearfield County Economic Development Corporation is pleased to announce the creation of its new Energy Development Department.  This newly shaped department is being prompted at a time of urgent need.  Industries such as Unconventional Gas, Bio-Fuels, Solar, Wind and Coal are only a few specialties that this department will aid in the growth of.  This is an exciting time for Clearfield County, each of these industry clusters will have opportunities to grow and create jobs for our residents.

With the creation of the new department the CCEDC will be seeking an individual to fill the role of Vice President of Energy Development.  This skilled practitioner will be the liaison between Clearfield County and companies engaged in Energy projects.  They will establish and maintain an information system with local energy businesses to ensure responsiveness to their needs with respect to expansion, financing, technology development, labor force, legislation and regulatory issues.  Additionally, they will act as a coordinating resource between the Energy Industry and units of local government and state permitting entities to foster energy related job growth.             

The ideal candidate will have knowledge of Pennsylvania Economic Development policies and procedures and a degree in Business, Economics, Planning or an associated discipline or 5 years experience in an Energy Related Field.

Interested applicants can send a cover letter and resume to CCEDC by November 30, 2010, marked Clearfield County Economic Development Corporation- Attention Energy Department- 511 Spruce Street- Suite 5- Clearfield, PA 16830.  The CCEDC is a Private Non-Profit Corporation and an equal opportunity employer.

MSC Statement on the PA House Passed Severance Tax
Senate should consider alternative to House’s uncompetitive approach

Canonsburg, Pa.– This evening, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a massive, uncompetitive new tax on the responsible development of clean-burning natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation, which has helped create nearly 88,000 jobs in Pennsylvania alone as the state’s unemployment rate continues to remain near double-digits. This massive new tax – 39 cents per mcf of natural gas – represents the nation’s highest among shale gas producing states. In fact, this onerous tax on shale gas production is twice as high as West Virginia’s, currently the nation’s highest.

Equally problematic, this enormous tax does not allow for natural gas producers to recover and reinvest the millions of dollars required to produce shale gas from the Marcellus, as virtually every other major shale gas producing state does. Many members of the House of Representatives voted against this massive tax, recognizing the negative impact it would have on job creation and investment in Pennsylvania.

Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC), issued this statement following the vote:

“Votes for this misguided, unprecedented tax that narrowly passed this evening, are votes against job creation and the responsible development of clean-burning domestic natural gas, which is helping to lower energy prices for Pennsylvania consumers and driving down our nation’s dependence on foreign sources of energy.

“We are confident, based on Senator Scarnati’s public comments this evening, that the Senate will remain steadfast in their commitment to realize a competitive climate for growth and prosperity for Pennsylvanians.

“To make certain that Pennsylvania’s economy and workforce remain ahead of the curve in the increasingly competitive global economy requires commonsense solutions that encourage capital investment in the Commonwealth. A competitively structured tax in Pennsylvania, that allows for critical capital reinvestment, coupled with smart regulatory and legislative modernizations, is key to ensuring that this historic opportunity is realized in ways that benefit each and every Pennsylvanian.”

NOTE: In a statement, Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, underscored the fact that “We need a tax that is competitive with other shale states.” Rep. Evans adds: “I also recognize the industry will want to weigh in and argue for a tax with a rate and characteristics that allow for capital recovery, a tax it can support as it does in every other state where drilling occurs. These issues are all negotiable.” 

Contact: Travis Windle, 724-312-2230, travis.windle@fd.com
Patrick Creighton, 267-408-4730, patrick.creighton@fd.com

CANONSBURG, Pa. – Producers of natural gas in Pennsylvania’s portion of the Marcellus Shale “have been building their wells to exceed our current regulatory standards,” the head of DEP’s bureau of oil and gas management told a Luzerne County audience earlier this month – and are relying on a technology to access these clean-burning resources that’s “been standard operating procedure in Pennsylvania since the ‘50s.” 

Those were among the key messages delivered by Scott Perry two weeks ago, on hand to participate in a community forum on the Marcellus held at Misericordia University in Dallas.  What follows are several additional excerpts from that event, along with a link to the video:  Click here to see, DEP Regulator Separates Fact From Fiction on the Marcellus Shale.

On the misconceptions he continues to encounter across the state:

 “When I’m talking to folks about the Marcellus, they try to point out some of its unique characteristics: ‘Well, Marcellus is different than all of these other wells; these are the deepest wells we have in the state.’ Well, that’s actually not true. We have over 11,000 permitted deeper wells in the Commonwealth; we have an entire statute devoted to regulating those wells.” 

“Some of the other things they say … ‘It’s the fracking. Fracking is what makes the Marcellus Shale different than all other wells in Pennsylvania. But [fracking] has been standard operating procedure in Pennsylvania since the ‘50s and … almost 100 percent of the wells drilled in Pennsylvania have been hydraulically fractured using the same [materials] that are being used with the Marcellus today.” 

On Marcellus producers’ commitment to sound well construction and integrity:

 “I will tell you that the Marcellus operators have been building their wells to exceed our current regulatory standards; they’re building their wells in a manner that exceeds the [new] standards that we have actually proposed here, in many respects.”

 On putting Marcellus water use in the proper perspective:

 “While five million gallons [of water] sounds like a lot, in the overall scheme of things, it’s not. And in fact, this industry at its peak, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission estimates, it will be using less water than our golf courses and ski resorts; it’s going to be using less water than recreation.”

 On the record of safety and performance associated with hydraulic fracturing:

 “Just a note about fracking: First of all, it’s standard operating procedure in Pennsylvania. And it’s important to point out that we’ve never seen an impact to fresh groundwater directly from fracking.”

 “If there was fracturing of the producing formations that was having a direct communication with groundwater, the first thing you would notice is the salt content in the drinking water. It’s never happened. After a million times across the country, no one’s ever documented drinking water wells that have actually been shown to be impacted by fracking.”

 “A lot of folks relate the situation in Dimock to a fracking problem. I just want to make sure everyone’s clear on this – that it isn’t. What happened in Dimock was that a company was drilling in the Marcellus, and they encountered a shallow gas producing formation … which is common in this area of Pennsylvania. … It wasn’t a fracking problem.”

“How many wells has fracturing damaged? I assume you’re referring to ‘how many drinking water wells.’? And in our experience, it’s been zero.”

The Clearfield County Industrial Development Authority (CCIDA) would like to announce the fifth round of competitive grant solicitation to assist with industrial and economic development projects in Clearfield County.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Infrastructure Grant and Zero-Interest Loan Fund (IGLF) Program has been made possible as a result of the CCIDA’s success in growing and turning over loan funds that have assisted dozens of companies over the years with local business expansion projects.  For several years the loan funds have been utilized for industrial expansion projects relating to machinery and equipment purchases, facility expansions and technology-based upgrades for businesses throughout Clearfield County.

“This competitive grant program is truly unique to North Central Pennsylvania and arguably, the entire state of Pennsylvania, explains Rob Swales, Executive Director.  Due to continuing success of the CCIDA’s revolving loan fund program, the lending pool and recapture rate have grown proportionately over the years to support a spin-off competitive grant program for economic development projects on an annual basis in Clearfield County.”  The IGLF has been created to proactively respond to the community’s need for supplemental sources of financing to support municipalities, units of local governments, non-profit corporations, hospitals and public agencies within the County of Clearfield to spearhead and further leverage economic development projects with other traditional sources of public and private financing. 

The Deadline for this year’s grant and zero-interest loan pool is June 30, 2010.  Complete IGLF guidelines and application may be found at the Clearfield County Economic Development Corporation’s website, www.clearlyahead.com or by calling the CCIDA office at 814-768-7838.

The Clearfield County Economic Development Corporation held its 4^th Annual Golf Outing & Picnic on Friday, June 4, 2010 at the DuBois Country Club.  20 foursomes came out for the 9:00am scramble.  Thank you to our sponsors, S&T Bank, DMS Environmental and Blair Petroleum, Clearfield Bank & Trust, Helmbold & Stewart Group, Lee-Simpson Associates, Gannett Fleming and UGI Central Penn Gas.