West Virginia Consumers Optimistic about Shale Gas Opportunities
Marketwatch.com reports that most consumers living in West Virginia believe shale exploration will provide economic opportunity. Of those polled, nearly a quarter already reported seeing economic impact. The poll, conducted as Huntington Bank’s Midwest Economic Index, shows that populations with the most exploration activity, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia had the highest expectation for economic opportunity. Huntington Bank predicts that natural gas production, particularly from the Utica and Marcellus Shale formations, will increase dramatically over the next 25 years and that job growth will continue as well. According to the report, Huntington plans to expand its commercial banking services to serve the energy sector to meet new demand in the energy sector.