Regional Focus
COMPILED BY JENNIFER JETT PREZKOP
Bald Knob Trail, Canaan Valley State Park. Photo by Justin Harris.
ArcLight Capital Acquires Natural Gas Production and Midstream Assets from Energy Corporation of America
ArcLight Capital Partners has announced that its affiliate, Greylock Energy, has acquired substantially all of the gas production and midstream assets of Energy Corporation of America( ECA). Simultaneously, Greylock Energy has also completed a related transaction to acquire membership interests in First ECA Midstream, which owns several gathering and transmission pipeline systems in a joint venture with ECA.
Greylock Energy is supported by a $ 400 million equity commitment from ArcLight and certain co-investors to pursue gas production and midstream opportunities in Appalachia with a core focus on development of its existing West Virginia and Pennsylvania operations.
Greylock Energy will be led by Kyle Mork, the former CEO of ECA, who has more than 13 years of experience managing and operating gas production and development activities in Appalachia. Mork will be joined by other former members of the ECA management team.
“ We are very pleased to partner with Kyle and his team,” says Dan Revers, managing partner and founder of ArcLight.“ They have decades of proven operating experience in Appalachia, which is key to executing the wealth of opportunities that come with the assets. The Marcellus is a world-class shale resource, and this investment serves as an ideal platform for additional upstream and midstream growth opportunities in this important region.”
Berkeley County Development Authority Earns National Recognition for Economic Development
The Berkeley County Development Authority( BCDA) has been named the recipient of the NASS-WV Award, a national award that recognizes exemplary efforts in promoting business development. The BCDA earned the recognition through its extensive work in bringing major economic development projects to the Eastern Panhandle.
“ The work the Berkeley County Development Authority has accomplished over the last few years has been nothing short of extraordinary. The efforts of this group of people have led to marvelous economic opportunities both for the region and the state as a whole,” says Secretary of State Mac Warner, who
presented the national award to BCDA Executive Director Sandy Hamilton.
The BCDA provides a key leadership role in the Eastern Panhandle, bringing together individuals and entities from the private and public sectors for the economic promotion of the region and the state. The BCDA was an early advocate for infrastructure development in the region and has been instrumental in making Berkeley County a leader in the state in providing the resources needed for economic growth.
Reconnecting McDowell Partnership Marks 6th Anniversary
Launched by Gayle Manchin and the American Federation of Teachers( AFT) to help revive an Appalachian county struggling with decades-long academic challenges and socioeconomic devastation, the Reconnecting McDowell public-private partnership recently celebrated six years of tangible improvements while looking forward to more years of efforts to lift people’ s well-being in McDowell County, WV.
“ Over the past six years, we’ ve demonstrated that when the broader community comes together and takes on seemingly intransigent issues facing a poverty-stricken area, we can make a difference in people’ s lives,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.“ Reconnecting McDowell has found a way to try to break the cycle of chronic poverty and give today’ s kids and families a path to a brighter future.”
One of the most successful programs over the past six years has been Broader Horizons, which provides mentors to high school students at risk of dropping out or who are dealing with serious personal difficulties. AT & T has been supporting the Broader Horizons program since 2014, and in acknowledgement of the partnership’ s success, it has announced it is making a second substantial contribution to Reconnecting McDowell’ s Broader Horizons high school mentoring program. The company has contributed $ 200,000 to support Broader Horizons for the next two years. The latest contribution builds on a previous $ 300,000 contribution that enabled 57 at-risk high school students to participate in Broader Horizons. All of them have graduated and enrolled in college or entered the military.
92
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE