This article originally provided by The Charleston Gazette

May 24, 2011

Union says Marcellus jobs should go to W.Va. worker

By Paul J. Nyden

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia construction workers are upset that Dominion Transmission has decided to hire people from other states to work on pipelines to transmit natural gas from local Marcellus Shale operations.

Dominion hired Holloman Corp., based in Texas, to work on new pipelines in Wetzel County in West Virginia. Instead of using local workers, Holloman is importing workers from Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana and Florida.

The Affiliated Construction Trades Foundation, which has supported Marcellus Shale development as a promising source of jobs, has organized four protests in front of Dominion Transmission facilities -- in Harrison, Wetzel, Marshall and Ohio counties.

Based in Richmond, Va., Dominion Transmission Inc. is an interstate gas transmission subsidiary of Dominion, which provides gas transportation and storage services.

"Holloman's policies mean lost jobs for local workers," said Larry Young of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 132. "They promote Marcellus Shale like it is the biggest thing in the world that will produce millions of dollars. But the local people sure don't see much of that.

"When Dominion doesn't hire local workers, that makes the company a bad steward of the community."

Chuck Penn, media relations manager for Dominion in West Virginia, said on Tuesday, "Dominion hires contractors that have the technical expertise and the experience to perform the work we need to be done. The contractors in turn hire people who will meet that end as well."

Penn said, "We are sensitive to our state. Dominion has an excellent track record investing in the state of West Virginia. We pay taxes annually. And our record is as good as any corporation in local philanthropy.

"But because of the specialized nature of our work, we have to insure we have contractors in place who can perform work to our specifications. We need to have people in place that have experience and the technical expertise to perform the work."

Steve White, president of the ACT Foundation, said, "A lot of companies doing Marcellus Shale exploration are from the Texas-Oklahoma area. And they bring in contractors they have worked with."

"Out-of-state workers don't have homes here. They don't pay taxes. They spend a little money to buy local food. But the majority of their money goes back to where they are from -- to Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana," Young said.

"It is amazing how many out-of-state license plates you see in these areas, working in remote areas. Very few local people get jobs."

Reach Paul J. Nyden at pjny...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5164.

West Virginia Surface Owners' Rights Organization
1500 Dixie Street, Charleston, West Virginia 25311
304-346-5891