Every week, we open the newspaper to another story on grid reliability, energy availability and how Ohio is going to step up to the challenge of meeting the demands of the next decades. I’m here to say that Ohio’s natural gas and oil industry is our answer. The Ohio Natural Energy Institute recently released our 2025 report on the current state of the industry, and it is strong.

In 2023, Ohio set a state record, producing nearly 30 million barrels of oil, compared to 22 million barrels in 2022 — an increase of 35 percent. In 2023, there were 1,861 new industry jobs compared to 2022, and 16,703 direct oil and gas jobs with a 6.6 percent growth rate.

Ohio’s thriving natural gas and oil industry makes life better. Not only is homegrown Ohio energy providing high-paying, family-sustaining jobs, but it’s critical for energy security and the creation of countless products and innovations.

The natural gas and oil industry is a key driver of our economy in Ohio. Local communities benefit from good, high-paying wages, state-of-the-art school and curriculum opportunities and millions of dollars in added revenue to local municipalities, all thanks to the revenue generated from our industry. Since 2012, cumulative total shale-related investment in Ohio is more than $108 billion. For decades, Ohio’s natural gas and oil industry’s ad valorem and severance taxes have supported state and local governments, contributing to dramatic rises in property tax revenue that support critical municipal services and local schools.

Thanks to the innovation, technology and responsible stewardship of our nation’s energy producers, the United States leads all countries in emissions reductions. In four years, the Appalachian Basin achieved a 52 percent reduction in methane emissions — demonstrating that prolific production and emissions reductions are not mutually exclusive.

Ohio is an energy leader — and our industry is essential to maintaining life as we know it in Ohio and around the world.

(Tague is executive director of the Ohio National Energy Institute)