Coalition works to aid, advance gas industry

By John Bojarski Eagle Staff Writer

September 09, 2013 Last Updated: September 09, 2013 10:08 AM Energy

ALLEGHENY COUNTY — With all of the challenges in the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry, the Marcellus Shale Coalition works to advance the industry and provide information about it.

“It’s a very complex industry,” said CEO Katie Klaber.

She said the goal of MSC is to ensure the viability and prosperity of oil and gas development in Appalachia, particularly in Pennsylvania.

It started in 2008 and 2009, when several gas companies realized that Marcellus Shale natural gas could be a great resource and that they should join together to get regulatory and legislative issues right.

The companies established a board of directors and bylaws in November 2009. Klaber was hired as CEO in January 2010.

Before becoming CEO, Klaber, 47, of Sewickley was executive vice president for competitiveness at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and executive director of the Pennsylvania Economy League.

On July 26, the MSC announced that Klaber would be leaving her position in a few months. The MSC will conduct a national search for a new CEO.

In 2010, MSC created a set of guiding principals which it uses to prioritize its work. The principals state that the MSC strives to have the safest workplace possible, to implement up-to-date environmental protection, to keep a talented and local work force, to seek to improve practices and to be transparent, and to encourage public dialogue and education.

Today, the MSC has 300 members and is run by 43 board members, with 12 members of its executive board.

Klaber said that MSC’s board members last year produced 96 percent of the Marcellus Shale natural gas in the state.

The MSC has 16 employees and five offices. The main office is in North Fayette Township, Allegheny County. The other offices are in State College, Wilkes-Barre, Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

Board members meet regularly, often over two days, to discuss opportunities, how to approach issues and how to prioritize work.

In addition to members getting coalition work done, Klaber said it also is good for businesses to interact with other businesses.

“It’s both the content that is very important to the members, but also it’s the relationships,” Klaber said.

The MSC works a great deal with politicians and legislators.

Klaber said there are several registered lobbyists on the MSC’s staff. She said there could be dozens of bills in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., that could have an impact on the gas industry.

MSC lobbyists provide information as to how bills would impact the industry and try to discourage legislation that could harm the industry.

Additionally, MSC brings elected officials to different forums and it invites them to its annual conference.

“There is a lot of interaction, not just in Harrisburg,” Klaber said.

The coalition also works with county commissioners and individual members work with local governments.

Working with businesses which are not directly connected to the industry also has been a major task.

“That’s been very important to us, especially in the beginning,” Klaber said.

She said MSC works with chambers of commerce to raise awareness about the industry, safety and business opportunities.

As a result, more state-based businesses are subcontracting with the industry as opposed to out-of-state companies, Klaber said.

“We’re very proud of the efforts that accelerated that process,” Klaber said.

In the community, she said MSC works with agriculture centers and it has booths at county fairs, as well as at the state farm show in January and at Ag Progress Days in August.

“That allows us to talk to thousands,” Klaber said.

Additionally, MSC has done its “Ask About Shale” campaign in the southeastern part of the state, where there is little shale gas activity.

With the price of natural gas at an all-time low, she said that can help keep rates lower, creating a huge ripple effect.

She said a big challenge is getting people who are not in the industry to understand the number of regulations and safety procedures the industry meets.

Klaber said there has been an extremely large amount of shale gas development in the state.

“I think we can really declare victory in the first phase of shale development in the commonwealth,” Klaber said.

She said the state now is a major player in the energy industry in the United States, and that it now is on the global radar screen.

“By and large, we have done what we set out to do,” Klaber said. “That’s really exciting.”