Cincinnati PR

In 1814, Silas Thomas and Robert McKee made the first discovery of crude oil in the U.S. while drilling for salt in lovely Macksburg, Ohio.

A lot has happened since that glorious day just north of Marietta.

With more than 273,000 wells drilled to date, Ohio continues to rank as one of the leading states in terms of natural gas and crude oil production, following only Texas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.

These wells have produced trillions of cubic feet of natural gas and billions of barrels of crude oil. The importance of Ohio’s supply of these natural resources is indeed significant, and cannot be overlooked, as these energy sources alone account for nearly 65% of the total energy consumption in the United States.

As Ohio’s supply adds to the national supply, these domestic energy resources help us to be less dependent on foreign energy supplies.

Enter the Ohio Proud Energy Campaign, to be launched all across the great Buckeye State over the next several weeks, from early October through mid-November.

Representatives of the Ohio Proud Energy Campaign are meeting with media outlets – newspapers, magazines, radio outlets and TV stations – over the next several weeks.

OIL, GAS ENERGY: IMPACTING MILLIONS IN OHIO DAILY

It’s hard to imagine that gasoline was once considered a waste product at early crude oil refineries.

However, the advent of the combustion engine changed the industry, and people’s mode of transportation, forever.

What most don’t realize is that there are over 6,000 products that are also produced, wholly or in part, from crude oil: medicines, waxes, cosmetics, synthetic rubber, bubble gum, toothpaste, crayons, toys, clothing, phones, deodorant, cosmetics, computers and many life saving medical devices.

FUELING THE ECONOMY OF THE BUCKEYE STATE

Natural gas and crude oil has been explored in 76 of Ohio’s 88 counties. Today, 49 counties currently produce domestic natural gas and crude oil.

Each year, this sector of the state’s energy industry provides more than 14,400 local jobs, more than $1.5 billion in gross state product, and reinvests more that $281 million in the state on exploration and development.

Ohio consumers save more than $65 million each year in avoided interstate pipeline and transportation costs as a result of locally-produced natural gas.

Local economies also benefit from the more than $202 million paid annually in royalty payments to Ohio landowners, schools, churches, businesses and local communities. Ohio’s natural gas and crude oil producers are tax providers, not tax takers.

THE POWER OF NATURAL GAS

Natural gas is a vital component of today’s energy supply.

It is one of the cleanest, safest and most useful of all energy sources. Nearly 7 out of every 10 Ohio homes use natural gas as their primary source of heating; it’s also used for cooking, drying clothes and heating water.

Businesses and industry use natural gas in many ways, from cooking in restaurants, to fueling high temperature furnaces for manufacturing, to providing heat and electricity in hospitals, hotels, schools, churches, shopping centers and office buildings.

Natural gas can be used immediately, or may be further processed into additional products such as propane, butane and helium.

A PROUD ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT

Ohio’s natural gas and crude oil wells have one of the smallest final environmental footprints of any energy source today.

The final footprint of an average Ohio well today is about the size of a dining room or smaller, and the actual well diameter is about the size of a soccer ball.

These efficient wells work 365 days a year, produce decades of energy supplies, and are not subject to adverse weather conditions or foreign intervention.

For media inquiries regarding the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program, please contact OOGEEP Executive Director Rhonda Reda at (740) 587-0410 or rreda@OOGEEP.org; or Ms. Meshell Giblin at (513) 608-2544 or mgiblin@OOGEEP.org.

Interested parties may also contact Andy  Hemmer, aka TheWritingFiend@Large at (513) 604-5428 or andy@andyhemmer.com.