Connecticut will gain 13,300 jobs by 2020 from production of natural gas and oil trapped in shale formations in the Midwest and West, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy.
The institute’s report showed shale energy production already has created 8,200 direct, indirect, and induced jobs in Connecticut and generation $126 million in government revenue in 2012 and $3.9 billion in government revenue by 2035.
The institute has been a major support of harnessing and using the natural gas and oil trapped in the various shale formations, calling the energy a game-changer in the supply industry.
Connecticut already is pursuing policy in favor of bringing more shale energy to the state, particularly natural gas. Gov. Dannel Malloy and the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection are working on a $7 billion expansion of the natural gas home heating system, based on the dropping commodity price caused by the proliferation of shale natural gas.
