Industry Spotlight ENERGY
Drilling Deep with Booming
Effects for North Texas
Barnett Shale brings energy renaissance to the region
A Chesapeake Energy natural gas rig
drills in Fort Worth with the company’s
North Texas office in the background.
L
ocated in 5,000 square
miles in 24 counties across North Texas,
the Barnett Shale is a plentiful natural
resource that is changing the region’s
landscape.
Shale gas production is considered to
be one of the most significant energy
developments in recent decades. The natural
gas is abundant, affordable, produced in the
U.S., and is a clean-energy source that can be
used to power homes, businesses and even
automobiles.
www.ntc-dfw.org
A nationwide boom in natural gas
production has proven to have a profound
economic impact within drilling boomtowns
that have sprung up around North Texas,
Pennsylvania and across Western states – and
producing this clean, domestic energy source
is creating jobs, stimulating businesses and
growing local economies.
The Barnett Shale is the nation’s largest
gas-producing area (over 9 trillion cubic feet of
natural gas have been produced thus far), and
even through the recent recession, its booming
effect on the area’s economy doesn’t show signs
of slowing down anytime soon.
“The far-reaching benefits to our
communities from the vast natural gas
deposits 1.5 miles below our feet in the Barnett
Shale are enormous,” said Julie Wilson, VP of
Urban Development for Chesapeake Energy.
“Nearly everyone in North Texas is touched
in a positive way by the natural gas industry.”
Both Devon Energy Corporation and
Chesapeake began drilling for natural gas
in North Texas about 10 years ago.
Approximately 38 percent of the region’s
economic growth over the past decade stems
from activity surrounding the Barnett Shale,
and local employment is even 8.7 percent
higher than the national average because of it.
According to recent reports, nearly 12 percent
of total employment in Texas can be attributed
to the natural gas industry.
“Devon has a long history in North Texas
and our commitment to enhancing the quality
of life in the region is strong,” said Jay Ewing,
Manager of Completions & Construction for
Devon. “Our success in the Barnett Shale has
allowed us and other companies to invest in
long-term growth, which has helped support
local communities during challenging
economic times.”
The Barnett Shale has created over
100,000 permanent, full-time jobs in the
North Texas region. In 2011, Chesapeake itself
employed more than 1,000 people in the
Barnett, which was up 17 percent from the
previous year. The comp