Dominion gas plant in maryland (Pittsburgh, Beaver: 2013, credit, attorney)

[zman63]

Will they still build the one on the proposed site in beaver county? Seems as though they are going to take the gas from our region, liquify it and send it overseas.

Dominion gets approval for Maryland facility to liquefy natural gas - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Here is the last update on the proposed cracker plant in beaver.

Shell opens bidding for ethane at proposed Beaver County cracker plant - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[zman63]

Here is another read regarding the ethane cracker in beaver. They do not seem optimistic about it being built.

A different take on the Shell cracker - Pittsburgh Business Times

[escilade18]

As a thinking exercise, what are some of you recommendations for attracting more business to stay in the region.

[zman63]

Originally Posted by escilade18

As a thinking exercise, what are some of you recommendations for attracting more business to stay in the region.

On a state level,

Shrinking the legislature, lowering business taxes, change the state laws so it give the municipalities more control over their future. The state hinders a lot of business development and growth with its old laws and amount of red tape that needs cut to get something done.

For example, the laws to become a private detective in the state were written in 1953 (legislation was composed 4 years ago to update and change the 1953 law, however it stalled in the PA House). There is no competency test and no reciprocity between other states. You must hire an attorney to file a motion with the court of the county your reside in and must be at least 25 years old. You are required to provide 5 letters from non blood relatives that you have known for five years as to why you should be a private detective. You must have 3 years experience as a government investigator, government detective, county sheriff, or in a police force above the rank of patrolman in the commonwealth. You are then given a court date and a local judge decides whether or not to award you the license. Of course all of this is in addition to fingerprint cards and background checks.

This is one example and I know of at the state level and I am sure there are many others.

On a local level,

Governments, school districts and municipalities need consolidated. One School district, One mayor/chief exec, one council board, one police force, one fire department, one tax rate and so on and so on. There is so much money and time wasted due to duplication of services. Tax dollars should be spent on infrastructure improvements, small business startups, cleaning up brownfields and not stadiums for sports teams. It is an endless amount of red tape that hinders progress.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by zman63

Shrinking the legislature, lowering business taxes, change the state laws so it give the municipalities more control over their future.

Ironically, the one change the state made to laws about drilling was to make sure Pittsburgh can't control its future in terms of gas drilling.

[greg42]

If we worked on more demand for natural gas here (e.g. vehicles) we wouldn't have to ship it overseas. That said, if there's a market to sell it overseas then that's more demand, which can thus spur continued exploration for more supply.

I still think goosing more demand here is a good idea though. We should be buying natural gas cars and having fewer worries about places to fuel them. BTW in Cranberry at the newer Get Go on 228 there is a natural gas fueling pump, one of the few I know of at an otherwise normal gas station. Perhaps this will become more commonplace.

[zman63]

Originally Posted by greg42

If we worked on more demand for natural gas here (e.g. vehicles) we wouldn't have to ship it overseas. That said, if there's a market to sell it overseas then that's more demand, which can thus spur continued exploration for more supply.

I still think goosing more demand here is a good idea though. We should be buying natural gas cars and having fewer worries about places to fuel them. BTW in Cranberry at the newer Get Go on 228 there is a natural gas fueling pump, one of the few I know of at an otherwise normal gas station. Perhaps this will become more commonplace.

The funny thing is there was an article in the pg the other day about natural gas fueling. There was a picture of a 1964 mack fire truck that was converted to natural gas fuel. Now if they were able to convert a vehicle that old then surely the technology is there. We live a lie in this world. Vehicles get the same mpg today as nearly 100 yrs ago. It is all about controlling people. If vehicles were converted to natural gas the economy would boom here and the national economy would roar back.

[gortonator]

Originally Posted by greg42

If we worked on more demand for natural gas here (e.g. vehicles) we wouldn't have to ship it overseas. That said, if there's a market to sell it overseas then that's more demand, which can thus spur continued exploration for more supply.

I still think goosing more demand here is a good idea though. We should be buying natural gas cars and having fewer worries about places to fuel them. BTW in Cranberry at the newer Get Go on 228 there is a natural gas fueling pump, one of the few I know of at an otherwise normal gas station. Perhaps this will become more commonplace.

NPR report this morning on this development said it would spur demand from overseas, price and hence create more drilling. Apparently when prices are low, it's less attractive to drill. Makes sense. Although low prices spur local manufacturing - quoted Dow Chemicals using natural gas extensively because it's cheap.

So doesn't sound a bad thing to me ...

[Scott2187]

Originally Posted by PB&J O'Rourke2

Tax breaks, subsidizing land costs, etc.

For many communities, the payouts add up to a substantial chunk of their overall spending, the analysis found. Oklahoma and West Virginia give up amounts equal to about one-third of their budgets, and Maine allocates nearly a fifth.
In a few states, the cost of incentives is not significant. But several of them have low business taxes — or none at all — which can save companies even more money than tax credits.

Full article: Tax Incentives to Companies Bleeding Towns Dry, With Few Results

When I think about tax breaks for compaines, I think about the New Stanton area. First VW, then Sony. It will be interesting to see what happens with this whole US Airways merger, but I'm gonna take a bet and say yet another tax break, subsidized facility will be closed (the operations center in Moon).


I would support lowering business taxes instead of tax breaks.

[Rocklobster00]

Originally Posted by zman63

Will they still build the one on the proposed site in beaver county? Seems as though they are going to take the gas from our region, liquify it and send it overseas.

Dominion gets approval for Maryland facility to liquefy natural gas - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Here is the last update on the proposed cracker plant in beaver.

Shell opens bidding for ethane at proposed Beaver County cracker plant - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Maryland project is really a separate entity outside what the Cracker project would be. The cracker project will live or die according to the financial potential defined by Shell.
The proposed Beaver county Cracker plant would separate the valuable bi-products of the gas and separate it for more specific use such as the plastic's industry. My take on this Maryland facility is to prepare the simplified gas for transport and use. The potential spinoff from the Cracker plant is to stimulate associated industry that would benefit being located in close proximity to the cracker which offers the valuable separated by-product of the gas.