Fogelsville, PA — Dec. 12, 2019
Fogelsville, PA – Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, Lehigh Career & Technical Institute and the Pennsylvania College of Technology hosted a Think About Energy Briefing on Thursday, December 12 at Madeline’s in Fogelsville, Pa.
The briefing featured Representative Pete Schweyer and continued the multi-year series efforts conducted across Pennsylvania since 2013. This was the fourth stop in the Lehigh Valley with the last stop hosted by the Lehigh Career & Technical Institute January 18, 2017.
The briefing provided information to attendees on the supply and availability of natural gas; workforce and education partnerships; legislative updates; impact of natural gas in the Lehigh Valley and much more.
Bill desRosiers, External Affairs Manager at Cabot Oil & Gas, highlighted Pennsylvania’s strong natural gas production, the industry’s sustained focus on education and the impact of lower cost of energy to the Lehigh Valley.
“Pennsylvania is the number two producer of natural gas in the United States. This abundance of natural gas provides benefits outside of production areas through lower cost of energy,” desRosiers said. “”While the last decade was focused on the prolific production of natural gas, the next decade will be focused on the utilization of natural gas in areas such as the Lehigh Valley.”
desRosiers went on to discuss the importance of training the workforce for the next generation. “We saw the need within our industry and are heavily invested in education. Currently we support over 20 career and technical institutions such as the Lehigh Career & Technical Institute,” said desRosiers.
Grace Loeffler, Director of Academic and Special Programs at Lehigh Career & Technical Institute discussed how partnerships such as those with Cabot help provide opportunities for numerous students, from all walks of life.
“The financial scholarships of community partners such as Cabot are instrumental to our success. These partners help to prepare the workforce for tomorrow,” said Loeffler. “These scholarships will help ensure that all students, but especially those from low-income households, have the uniforms and materials they need to succeed in LCTI’s career and technical education programs,” Loeffler said. “Cabot’s gift is an investment in our students’ futures and the Lehigh Valley’s continued economic strength.”
Dr. Brad Webb, Assistant Dean from the School of Industrial Computing & Engineering Technologies from the Pennsylvania College of Technology highlighted how the college continues to evolve to help prepare their students for career opportunities.
“Our partnership with Shell Chemical enables us to prepare students for careers as a direct result of the natural gas industry. The Shell Polymers Rotational Molding Center of Excellence is one of the finest technology centers of its kind in North America featuring new equipment,” said Webb. Dr. Webb went on to discuss how partnerships with career & technical centers across the state help maximize opportunities for students.
Representative Pete Schweyer closed the briefing by discussing how he has taken the time to learn about the industry and get beyond preconceived notions related to the natural gas industry. “We need to get out of our comfort zone and look on how you are going to improve our communities,” said Schweyer. “One of the first things I did as a newly elected official was visit a well site.”
Highlighting how the Lehigh Valley has benefitted from having access to a lower cost energy source Representative Schweyer said, “Air Products announced they are keeping their corporate headquarters here in the Lehigh County in large part because the energy prices are so much less than any of our surrounding states. That is a good thing. That is a win for our state and our community.”