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Study Finds Gas Shale Development Could Create 29K Jobs By 2020
By: Associated Press
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A new report by a group affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says shale-gas development could support more than 29,000 jobs in West Virginia by 2020, doubling to 58,000 by the year 2035.
The report released Wednesday by the Chamber's Institute for 21st Century Energy says the natural gas industry has already created more than 11,800 direct and indirect jobs in the state.
It also projects that shale gas development will generate $283 million in revenue this year for state and local governments. And it says those revenues could hit $884 million a year by 2020.
The report is the second part of a three-part study co-sponsored by the institute.
In all, it predicts West Virginia could see more than $25 billion in shale-driven revenues between 2012 and 2035.