Developing our energy potential is a way out of economic mess created by Democrats

IBD:

A new study documents a mini-boom caused by the development of the Marcellus Shale formations in Pennsylvania, creating jobs and revenue. Maybe the second rule of holes is that when you're in one, start drilling.

While Washington unravels over hitting the debt ceiling, fretting over a stagnant economy, a shortage of revenues and an abundance of spending, a quiet economic boom is occurring in Pennsylvania that shows much of our economic wounds are self-inflicted.

That developing domestic energy could go a long way toward generating the revenues, jobs and energy we desperately need is shown by the third and final study by researchers at Penn State on the development of the Marcellus Shale and its economic impact on Pennsylvania and the U.S.

"Large-scale development of the Marcellus is reshaping the economic landscape of Pennsylvania," concluded authors Timothy J. Considine, Robert Watson and Seth Blumsack. They note that in 2010 alone, the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry triggered $11.2 billion in economic activity, generated $1.1 billion in state and local taxes, and supported nearly 140,000 jobs.

Don't expect the Obama administration to tout the Marcellus experience as an example of American ingenuity and innovation. If it had its way, the Marcellus would be paved over with solar panels and the hillsides dotted with wind turbines, hoping for the sun to shine and the wind to blow.

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We are going to need another President and another senate to reach our energy potential. When unleashed it will create hundreds of thousands of jobs and trillions of dollars in revenue to the government. It will also reduce the cost of energy in this country. The Democrats are going to have to be defeated to get them out of the way of development of our resources.