The Appalachian Storage Hub is going to be the cornerstone of manufacturing for multiple regions while creating unprecedented economic opportunities.

The Appalachian region has been coal country for generations. Working in the mines is tough work and demands a special breed of people. Spawning generations of highly-skilled workers with the get-it-done attitude, the region is perfect for new industries.

West Virginia is one of these coal states that have been struggling since coal has taken a back seat to other fuel sources. They have depended on coal for so long, that when the coal demand slipped, so did their local economies. To combat this, a new wave of support on both sides of the aisle has been thrown towards something called the Appalachian Storage Hub.

The Storage Hub is a $10 billion project that will bring 100,000 permanent jobs and $2.9 billion in new federal, state, and local tax revenue annually, according to the American Chemical Council. It will have the capacity to store 75 to 100 million barrels of natural gas liquids and a large network of 3,000 miles of underground pipelines.

While smaller than the Mont Belvieu Hub in Texas, the Appalachian Hub’s proximity to the Marcellus and Utica shale would make it very strategic for chemical manufacturers. In fact, according to Break Bulk, 70% of the North American polyethylene and polypropylene is within 700 miles of the Appalachian basin. The Proximity to the natural resources greatly reduces costs.

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http://naturalgasnow.org/appalachian-storage-hub-equals-jobs-lets-g...