WASHINGTON, PA (May 8, 2018)— An April panel discussion hosted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as part of their 2018 Energy Evolution Series featured Corey Young ’11, Washington & Jefferson College’s (W&J) Director of the Center for Energy Policy and Management (CEPM).
The topic, “The Power to Prosper: How do we transform our energy resources into economic opportunity?” attracted more than 300 community members to Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh on April 24.
“It’s always exciting to get W&J’s name out there and let people know that W&J is right in the middle of important energy work,” Young said.
Other speakers at the event included Kevin Acklin, Esq., Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Peoples Natural Gas; Rich Fitzgerald, an Allegheny County Executive; John Goberish, Dean of Workforce Development and Continuing Education at The Community College of Beaver County; and the panel’s moderator David Shribman, Executive Editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The forum focused on diverse perspectives on energy development, extraction, transmission and production. The panel discussed natural gas development in western Pennsylvania and answered questions from the crowd.
This is not the first outreach event for the CEPM. One of their primary programs is The Shale Gas Knowledge Hub Initiative, funded by the Richard King Mellon Foundation, which provides technical assistance and information sharing with concerned citizens and borough and township managers.
“Our tagline for this whole initiative has been more or less providing credible, accessible, and impartial information about shale gas development to these citizens and township and borough leaders so they can make informed decisions going forward,” Young said.
The Shale Gas Knowledge Hub is just one of many ongoing research projects handled by the CEPM. W&J Professors of Economics Drs. Robert and Leslie Dunn are working with the CEPM to do an economic impact study of the ethane cracker plant that will be built in Beaver County and will share their findings at an event later in the year.
The CEPM also has 10 student research fellows who put in work every week, helping to read academic journal articles and synthesize the information in the journals for a public newsletter that reaches 3,400 people in southwestern Pennsylvania. The newsletter also periodically features student work.
About Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work. For more information about W&J, visit washjeff.dev, or call 888-W-AND-JAY.
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