*NOTE: The Nov. 5 program will now be held in the Ballroom of the Rossin Campus Center, Washington & Jefferson College, 60 S. Lincoln St., Washington, PA 15301.

“Managing Marcellus: An Energy Policy Summit on Shale Gas Development and the Local Economy – Opportunities and Challenges for Municipal Leaders,” is being held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., Nov. 5 at the Washington & Jefferson College, through a partnership of Local Government Academy, Washington & Jefferson College’s Center for Energy Policy and Management and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

This event is open to all municipal officials and employees and interested people throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.

Shale gas development in southwestern Pennsylvania has taken place largely in small communities throughout the region. The development presents economic benefits for those communities through employment opportunities, creation of new public funds, and growth in personal wealth for owners of natural gas. The development also presents challenges for local governments, including additional service and infrastructure pressures, fiscal uncertainties that make planning difficult, and the need to identify ways to diversify their economies.

Speakers will examine these issues by exploring historical and international experiences with resource development activities, discussing public finance issues, examining fiscal stress and identifying best practices for diversifying economies. This program will address what local governments can do to promote financial stability and economic growth, including use of long-range planing, prudent spending of impact fees and investments in community development.
Speakers include:

• Ted Boettner, West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy, Executive Director
• Lori Dickes, Ph.D., Clemson University, Assistant Director, South Carolina Water Resources Center, Strom Thurmond Institute Lecturer
• Leslie Dunn, Ph.D., W&J College, Associate Professor of Economics
• Robert Dunn, Ph.D., W&J College, Associate Professor of Economics
• Susan Hockenberry, Local Government Academy, Executive Director
• James McElfish, Environmental Law institute, Senior Attorney
• Abra Nusser, City of Colleyville, Texas, Director of Community Development
• Joseph Ott, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Senior Policy Analyst
• Diana Stares, W&J College, Director of Center for Energy Policy & Management
• Gary Wagner, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Regional Economic Advisor

For more information, go to LGAonline. Scroll down the course catalog to this course. Click the left down arrow to learn or the shopping cart to register.

Continuing Legal Education Credits are now being offered for this program. LGA is offering 3.5 CLE for $30. After you register for this program, you will receive confirmation email with a CLE form.

Additionally, please learn more about the related content, Managing Marcellus: Land Use, Zoning and Addressing the Impact of Shale Gas Drilling After the PA Supreme Court Act 13 Rulings. which is now available online.  This is the online version of the successful June 4, 2015 program.