Fourth annual energy symposium slated for Aug. 1
The fourth annual Washington County Energy Symposium will be held from 8 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Aug. 1 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Southpointe.
The event will be held during the opening round of the 2013 Mylan Classic. The symposium is designed to further educate businesses about the energy industry and how it is driving economic development in Washington County.
Panel discussions will include experts and policymakers from industry, business and government providing insights and analysis into the advancement of the energy industry in Pennsylvania. Scheduled to participate on panels are state Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg; Chris Abruzzo, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; Patrick Henderson, Pennsylvania Energy Executive; and Paul Ziemkiewicz, Ph.D., director, WVU Water Research Institute, among others.
From 8 to 8:30 a.m., registration and breakfast will be held, followed by a “State of the Industry” session from 8:30 to 10 a.m. with panelists James Grech, executive vice president/chief commercial officer, Consol Energy; K. Scott Roy, vice president of government affairs, Range Resources; Rod Piatt, president, Horizon Properties; Venkee Sharma, president and chief executive officer, Aquatech; and David P. Ginther, senior vice president, Waddell & Reed/Industry Analyst.
From 10:15 a.m. to noon, topics for the second session will focus on oversight, careers and the future of the industry. Panelists will include Patrick Henderson, Pennsylvania Energy Executive; Chris Abruzzo, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; Paul Ziemkiewicz, Ph.D., director, WVU Water Institute; Kevin J. Garber, shareholder, Babst Calland; and Dave Callahan, vice president, government affairs, MarkWest Energy Partners.
A lunch from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. will feature keynote speaker Karen Alderman Harbert, president and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Institute of 21st Century Energy.
To register, visit the chamber website at washcochamber.com.
BEAVER (AP) – Shell Oil Co. has again delayed a decision on buying land in Western Pennsylvania for a proposed multimillion-dollar petrochemical plant in Beaver County.
Officials announced June 28 that Shell and Horsehead Corp. had signed another six-month extension on an option on the Potter Township site about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh.
The companies had signed a six-month extension at the end of last year for the site, which is now home to a zinc smelter that is expected to close.
The so-called cracker plant would convert natural gas liquids from the Marcellus Shale into more profitable chemicals such as ethylene, which is used to make plastics, antifreeze and other products.
Officials have said the plant would employ 100,000 temporary construction workers and provide 400 permanent jobs after that.
A Shell spokeswoman and government and civic leaders said the announcement is not a bad sign for the project. Spokeswoman Kimberly Windon said the company had intended to take years to evaluate the site.
“We’re still on track. We’re still continuing to evaluate the site,” Windon said, noting that Shell is studying transportation to the site, working on government permits and communicating with people in the county.
The Pittsburgh Regional Alliance said in a statement that extending terms of a land option deal “is a routine aspect of this kind of ongoing evaluation.” Gov. Tom Corbett, who says the plant could bring hundreds of jobs and provide work for thousands of construction employees, expressed support for the company “as it continues a deliberate evaluation of this project.”
MEADOW LANDS – Schaedler Yesco Distribution Inc., a leading distributor of electrical, lighting, data-communications and automation products, has opened its newest Pennsylvania branch at 255 Country Club Road, Meadow Lands.
The Washington County store complements existing Western Pennsylvania branches in Pittsburgh, Indiana, DuBois and St. Marys.
SYD said in a press release it continues to make significant strides in Western Pennsylvania through its ever-growing contractor relationships, service and ongoing developments related to Marcellus Shale gas extraction in Soutwestern and Northcentral Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. The Meadow Lands location offer s a 19,000-square-foot, open-floor, counter/warehouse combination floor plan and includes an abundance of products from industry-leading manufacturers. the new location is also designed to fully support Schaedler Yesco’s site inventory management systems.
Founded in 1924, Schaedler Yesco is the largest independent electrical distributor headquartered in Harrisburg and provides electrical, lighting, automation and datacomm products to contractor, commercial, industrial OEM and government customers.