Hydraulic Fracturing, Natural Gas and the U.S. Manufacturing Renaissance Conference Assembles Leaders of Over 60 Industries to Discuss Emerging Issues in Natural Gas Development

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On October 23, 2012, Kelley Drye & Warren, LLP convened a conference of key members of the oil and gas industry and energy-intensive manufacturing industries.   The seminar, called Hydraulic Fracturing, Natural Gas and the U.S. Manufacturing Renaissance, took place at the Ronald Reagan Building and drew over 60 companies and trade associations involved in the oil and gas industry or in industries benefitting from a thriving domestic natural gas market. 

Participants included energy-intensive industries, manufacturers that use natural gas as a feedstock, and companies that sell products and materials into the natural gas market.   They were joined by representatives from federal, state, and local government, labor representatives, and numerous members of the oil and gas industry.

"Technologies like hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have unlocked untapped natural gas resources," explained John Wittenborn, practice group leader for Kelley Drye's Environmental and Natural Resources section, and author of Industry blog, www.frackinginsider.com.  "The availability of these resources has been a tremendous catalyst for growth in a number of domestic industries that otherwise would have contracted in this recession."

Seminar participants heard from a number of the industries that are growing as a result of natural gas development.  Those participants include:

• Steven J. Adelkoff, President of Pittsburgh's Renewable Manufacturing Gateway  and CFO of Aither Chemicals, which has plans to construct a catalytic ethane cracker in the Kanawha Valley region of West Virginia.
• Douglas Polk, Vice President of V&M Star, which produces pipe for the oil and gas industry and which is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to expand its operations in Youngstown, Ohio.

Other participants included:

• Rep. James Keffer, Chairman of the Texas House Committee on Energy Resources and the author of one of the first state disclosure laws for hydraulic fracturing fluid;
• Richard Ranger, Senior Policy Director for the American Petroleum Institute;
• Sarah Magruder Lyle, Vice President of America's Natural Gas Alliance;
• Tim Dickson, Executive Director of Oil and Natural Gas Industry Labor Management Committee, and;
• Eric Planey, Vice President of International Business Attraction for the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.  

"We were fortunate to be able to bring together such a knowledgeable and diverse group of presenters.  There is no better way to understand the game-changing impact that domestic natural gas development can have on our economy than to hear it from the industry experts and from the companies and communities that are leading America's manufacturing renaissance," said Dana Wood,  Director of Kelley Drye's Government Relations and Public Policy practice group.  

Kelley Drye billed the event as first in a series of discussions aimed at helping those industries that benefit from a thriving domestic natural gas industry understand and engage in the dialogue on hydraulic fracturing and natural gas development.

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP is an international law firm founded in 1836 with approximately 350 lawyers and other professionals practicing in New York, NY; Washington, DC; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL; Stamford, CT; Parsippany, NJ; and Brussels, Belgium, additionally offering a full scope of legal service through our affiliate relationship with the Mumbai-based independent law firm, Fortitude Law Associates.

Kelley Drye's Environmental & Natural Resources and Government Relations practice groups have over 30 years of experience helping the energy industry and other heavily regulated manufacturing industries understand and shape environmental and energy policy, regulations, and laws.  With a deep expertize in the environmental and natural resources laws and regulations that govern these industries, Kelley Drye is uniquely able to advocate for its clients at federal agencies and, where necessary, in the courts.

SOURCE Kelley Drye & Warren LLP