Summit Focuses on Economic Development

Community leaders are learning more about the economic development future of our region.

On Thursday the Ohio State University at Newark and the Central Ohio Technical College hosted the Licking County Energy Summit.  Energy policy advisor Don Mason gave a presentation focused on powering the future of the local economy.

"We have more natural gas than we need, and if you had more corn than what you needed to eat for consumption, you would find other uses for the corn," said Mason.  "Likewise with natural gas, we have more than what we can use for home heating.  Every year we actually use less natural gas heating, because our homes become more energy efficient and appliances get better, so what we need to do is try using that natural gas for other sources."

Mason said the most ready source for natural gas is electricity generation, because he said it can be burned cleanly without mercury and half the carbon of other fossil fuels.  Mason said Ohio is looking at Pennsylvania’s progress as a reference.

"Just like the dry gas in Pennsylvania helped out very much, our gas in Ohio will most likely be a little bit wetter and have more liquids, which can be used for everything from the plastics industry to liquid fuels, so there should be a multitude of benefits that might not quite exist in the eastern portion of Pennsylvania," said Mason.

Panelists also addressed the history of the Utica Shale and its impact on various industries.