Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio's 3rd District guest posts for EID-Ohio about Ohio's place in America's Energy Security:

"Today, Ohioans are faced with ever increasing energy prices.  In the Dayton area, we witnessed spikes in gas prices that hovered over $4 per gallon during the summer months, up nearly 40 cents from last year.  Higher gas costs are just another burden on Ohio families as our economy struggles to recover.

We can jumpstart our economy and lower energy costs by promoting American energy production, removing government barriers like growth-inhibiting EPA red tape, and putting our country’s abundant natural resources to use. These common ground solutions will create jobs, achieve energy security, and spur economic growth without wasting billions of taxpayer dollars.

With Ohio’s development of its oil and natural gas resources in the Utica Shale, along with shale development across the country, we are already beginning to see immediate benefits to reducing our energy costs. In 2010 alone, Ohio consumers saved over $1.5 billion in energy costs due to lower wellhead natural gas prices. This is a trend expected to continue, providing continued, unimpeded development across the country,

Again, these lower energy costs are paramount to attracting manufacturers and, in turn, creating new jobs. Last year, Klienhenz and Associates, in conjunction with Marietta College, The Ohio State University, Central Ohio Technical College and Zane State College, released it’s economic impact study with projections of over 200,000 jobs created and supported by the energy industry through 2015 with the development of the Utica Shale.

Those are astounding numbers, and the job opportunities have proven to spread far from the northeast region of the state where this development is taking place. Here in the Miami Valley, we have already seen local companies, local employees benefit from this opportunity in Kelchner and CESO Engineering.

And we are only in the early stages of development, with an increase in activity to come in the next three years. That is why it is imperative we act now to ensure the responsible development of our energy resources becomes a priority, and one we are in the best possible position to take advantage and benefit from. This something I have, and will continue to do in Washington."

READ MORE: http://www.eidohio.org/ohios-commitment-to-americas-energy-security/