The Gloom in the Boom

With the onset of an ever increasing gas “boom” in our region, the weight of the impacts are being considered by many of us with great concern over the future of our community as a whole.



Living a stones throw from Rt. 664, I have had first hand experience with the increased truck traffic and the safety hazards on our local roads.



The indelible effects of the gas drilling and related activity and its impacts on the local citizens must be honestly assessed. Unfortunately, to a great extent, one of the most impactful consequences is being ignored and has not been fully appreciated.



As many of you may have noticed, the price for renting any type of dwelling has skyrocketed over the last 2 years. The reason for this has been the influx of workers hired by the firms related to natural gas drilling. The jobs pay well for that sector of the employed, and since many of them have come from outside the area they immediately put a strain on the rental market, increasing demand and monthly rent fees.



This is not a situation unique to Clinton County. It has been observed in communities throughout the country where gas drilling has occurred.



For those that are employed otherwise, the wages they receive have not drastically changed, and many I have had conversations with have either had their rent raised or were “forced out” so that a worker employed by a natural gas related company could move in at a higher rate.



A scenerio is building where we may see "working homeless" families and individuals who have jobs but can no longer afford housing.



With the current state of the overall economy and the increasing cost of basic needs like energy and food, this added burden to the poor and lower middle class in Clinton County is more than unwelcome; it is in so many cases, the straw breaking the proverbial camel's back.



The recent news that one of the largest employers in our region, First Quality, will be laying off some of its employees only serves to highlight the encompassing effect that higher living costs will have on those who find themselves out of a job or dispossessed by a struggling economy.



This is not to say that the drilling activity has not improved the lives of some. Some local businesses have capitalized on new clientele, flush with cash. There are also the handful of local individuals who have been hired to work in the gas industry and have profited from it. However, it is undeniable to any person with even moderate observation skills that a large portion of the work force for the gas industry is imported from elsewhere.



It is an uncomfortable point to interject, when the source of prosperity for some is placing an unrequited burden upon others in the community, but it is necessary to honestly broach the topic before the disparity widens and further polarizes the citizenry.



Our state Constitution says that the Commonwealth “shall conserve and maintain” our public natural resources “for the benefit of all the people.” In a county where most of the drilling is occurring on public land and so many are forced to live with the impacts on infrastructure, housing costs, and other numerous inconveniences without any individual return, it can be assuredly purported that the current situation is not benefiting all citizens and is, in fact, going a step further and causing actual harm to a large quantity of persons.



This argument is the basis for a severance tax or an impact fee on the gas industry. It is not right for some to profit at the expense of their neighbors quality of life. Indeed it is not only irresponsible to ignore the current situation, but collectively immoral for it to be tolerated by any of us.