Feb 27, 2014 3 min read

One of the problems that has plagued Fayette County over the years has been the failure of optimistic plans and projects to materialize.

In fact, we probably lead Pennsylvania, and maybe even the nation, in that category.

Over the years, it seems like one plan after another has fallen short of expectations for all sorts of reasons

And that’s generally been the story for the Marcellus shale industry here. When the industry began to operate locally in the late 2000s, Marcellus shale officials promised it would be the biggest thing to hit the region since the coal boom at the turn of the 20th century.

Naturally, that got folks from around here more than a little excited. Those were indeed the glory days for Fayette County. Its population almost doubled from 58,842 in 1880 to 110,412 in 1910 and nearly doubled again to 198,542 by 1930.

But the optimistic projections for natural gas drilling haven’t materialized. So far our population has remained static while our unemployment rate remains among the highest in the state. As of December, the last month the numbers were available, Fayette County’s jobless rate stood at 7.3 percent, the 47th highest in the state.

Things have been better in Greene and Washington counties. As of December, they had rates of 5.3 percent and 6.9 percent, respectively. Greene County had the third lowest unemployment rate in the state while Washington County’s jobless rate was the 17th highest.

While those who have leased land for gas wells have profited greatly from the drilling, most Fayette County residents have seen little or no benefits. About the only businesses to make any sizable gains have been hotels and motels, which are used to accommodate the industry’s out-of-state workers.

So, most local residents probably had some skepticism regarding recent optimistic remarks by Chris Scheve, Northeast regional vice president of Valerus, which has a manufacturing and service facility in Smithfield,

Speaking at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus’ “CEO Conversations,” Scheve said when Valerus began operating in Fayette County three years ago, it relocated experienced employees from Texas, but employees from Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties now outnumber employees from Texas by a 3-to-1 margin.

It’s not just jobs in the field, said Scheve. He noted that people are being hired in advertising, marketing, sales, graphic arts, office administration and procurement among other jobs. He claimed that most workers in the gas and oil industries make more money than people with similar jobs.

Those jobs can be careers, he added, noting that the Marcellus and Utica shale gas markets are the largest in the country and will remain in play for 50 to 100 years.

According to Scheve, gas pipeline and processing companies will invest at least $12 billion in infrastructure in this region this year and at least $50 billion in the next four years to pipe gas from the area to other markets.

He also pointed out that Valerus invested $4.5 million in the Smithfield facility, which he described as the company’s “crown jewel.”

It still sounds probably too good to be true for most Fayette County residents all too familiar with disappointment and frustration over the years.

But even if some of what Scheve forecasts comes true in the coming years, Fayette County might finally return to at least some of the prosperity it experienced in the glory days of the coal boom. And that would definitely be a good thing for all concerned.