March 8th, 2013 by WCBC Radio
The connection between the environment and the economy was the focus of the regular monthly meeting of The Greater Cumberland Committee on Thursday at the Cumberland Country Club. A presentation titled “The Energy Epicenter: Natural Resources and the Economy” included an interactive panel discussion about the region’s abundance of coal, natural gas, wind and solar resources. Panelists include Peter Bajc of AES Warrior Run, Harry Benson of EverPower, Chris Burgess of Alpha Energy, Jonathan Kays of the University of Maryland Extension and Bill Stewart of Keystone Energy Forum. With Maryland lawmakers in Annapolis still in flux when it comes to the future of hydraulic fracturing and Marcellus Shale, Pennsylvania has experienced an economic windfall as a result. Stewart reported that the 2010 numbers for Pennsylvania show an economic impact of more than $20 billion for the state- and 140,000 jobs created. With 128,000 available acres in Garrett County and 51,000 in Allegany- similar impacts could be felt locally if the state ever signs off on allowing drilling…
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