Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia Partner to Leverage Region’s Shale Assets
In 2015, the Governors of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio signed a Tri-State Regional Cooperation Agreement, an unprecedented cross-border commitment designed to promote the region’s shale-related assets for economic growth and development. Through this effort, the Tri-State Shale Coalition (TSSC) was formed and has been actively working to promote the region’s innumerable assets ever since.
Founded by Team NEO, the Allegheny Conference, VisionShared, and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the Coalition has added several key partners over the last three years. These partners include: JobsOhio, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the West Virginia Department of Commerce, and the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth. Through the combined efforts of the organizations noted above, the Coalition focuses its efforts on the following areas:
- Transportation and Infrastructure
- Research/Innovation/Commercialization
- Workforce
- Marketing & Promotion of the Tri-State Region
Since its formation in 2015, TSSC has held an annual summit, with this year’s event taking place on November 29 at Stark State College in Canton. The previous two summits were held in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. This year’s summit will focus on the progress made by TSSC, with feature sessions geared towards the Coalition’s areas of strategic focus.
As the Coalition seeks to develop our Tri-State region into a petrochemical hub, the group continues to make great strides. Earlier this year, TSSC released the results of a geological study that showed the region can support storage facilities critical for attracting petrochemical and related industries to the area. As noted by Team NEO’s Paul Boulier, “The results of the study will be a valuable tool for our already strong manufacturing base in Northeast Ohio. Being able to store valuable feedstock will help develop midstream and downstream opportunities that will make us even more competitive on a global and national basis.”
Thanks to the Coalition’s efforts, audiences across the nation are beginning to see the potential of the Tri-State region, which the group hopes to build upon in the months and years ahead. In fact, in May of 2017, the American Chemistry Council published a study titled, “The Potential Economic Benefits of an Appalachian Petrochemical Industry.” TSSC was instrumental in providing key insights to this study, which further supported the idea that the Tri-State region is well-positioned to become a global petrochemical hub. Through a variety of events, reports and other promotional pieces, the Coalition is actively working to build the Tri-State region’s business case. Recognizing that economies don’t stop at state lines, the Tri-State Shale Coalition aims to increase investment in the Tri-State region to drive economic activity and opportunity.
To learn more about the region’s shale-related assets, please follow the links below.