MT. JOY – There may be no Marcellus Shale natural gas wells in Lancaster County, but the industry is creating jobs here, Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley said during a tour of Mount Joy Wire Corporation.
“The natural gas industry is located miles from here, but it has set off an economic chain reaction reaching all the way to Mount Joy, where it is creating jobs. Â Gov. Tom Corbett and I want to see more of this type of job creation happening across the state,” said Cawley.
In July, the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission – led by Cawley – unanimously approved and sent 96 recommendations to the governor for responsible natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania.  Earlier this month, Corbett unveiled his natural gas plan, which is based largely on these recommendations.
One part of the governor’s plan is to grow the number of existing manufacturing firms participating in the shale gas industry by helping them:
- Adapt their products for industry use;
- Meet industry standards;
- Market their services to the industry; and
- Identify qualified suppliers.
Â
“This is about creating good-paying, family-sustaining jobs for Pennsylvanians – not just on the drilling rigs, but in manufacturing shops like Mount Joy Wire,” Cawley said. “There are real opportunities with Marcellus Shale, and we need to help Pennsylvania companies make the most of them.”
Mount Joy Wire is a family-owned company that has been manufacturing high-carbon steel wire for more than two decades and now employs 135 people. Their wire is used to make industrial brushes to clean natural gas pipelines.
