"Horizontal drilling and fracking have steadily expanded south and east from Carroll County since 2011 . . . Harrison, Belmont, Noble, Guernsey and Monroe counties accounted for less than half of the Utica permits issued outside of Carroll County in 2012. Last year, that share increased to 76 percent. . . . drillers to lease acreage elsewhere. To the south, Hill said, they found land with geology similar to Carroll County - Utica Shale rich in natural-gas liquids," writes Shane Hoover in the Canton Repository, April 7, 2014, www.cantonrep.com/article/20140404/Business/140409509#ixzz2yOg8JMVC.

So far, a record number of permits has meant more jobs, driving the unemployment from down from 11.9% to as low a 8.2%. New building relating to this industry is going up as well. The shale gas boom is on in Ohio, and everyone stands to benefit. Ohio, always a leader in industry with its hardworking, highly-skilled people and its rich natural resources, is poised to take the lead again, in an industry that promises lasting prosperity and energy security in a fast-paced changing world.