The Hill News

As we enter the year 2012, the battle to win the GOP presidential nomination wages on and 21 debates have come and gone, leaving very few commonalities left between the remaining candidates. There is, however, one thing that they-and all of the American people-can agree on: job creation.

It's been on our minds since 2008, but, Despite the gradual improvements in the U.S. labor market and the drop in the jobless rate to 8.5 percent in December, wrote Dr. Mark Perry, a professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan, in a recent blog post, the payroll employment level of 131.9 million jobs in December is still more than six million jobs below the 137.9 million peak level when the recession started in December 2007.

However, there are three states he said that have now regained all of the jobs lost during the recession: North Dakota, Alaska and Texas.

Why? The people in these states are all benefitting from the thousands of oppo! rtunities made available in order to keep up with the abundant production of domestic energy resources, including natural gas.

America has the gas. It's ours, it's clean and it's much less expensive than oil. It just makes sense to expand its use so that the natural gas industry can play an even more vital role in our nation's recovery.

Fortunately, there is legislation before Congress that could add even more fuel to that recovery fire.

Read more...