Hotels and Oil/Gas Development Booms, Busts, and the Future of Hotels in Oil/Gas Development Areas

The development of new production methodologies for oil and gas wells has revolutionized energy production in the United States, shifting the country from a net importer to a net exporter of oil and natural gas (United States Energy Information Administration, 2015). The combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has allowed development of previously known but inaccessible energy reserves, spurring intensive energy development in varied locations across the country. With this new development has come a rapid expansion in housing needs for workers. Historically, developments such as this are prone to boom/bust cycles. This paper studies the effect of the housing needs in various drilling locations through a study of hotel performance over a 12-year period. This study finds that drilling activity has significantly increased hotel revenues in the drilling areas, but because of falling prices and oversupply, individual hotels are struggling to maintain break-even occupancies. Based on forecasts for oil and gas prices, with additional new supply, this bust cycle will continue through 2018

The Impact of Marcellus Shale Development on Hotel Revenues in Pennsylvania

New technologies have allowed for new drilling in oil and gas deposits throughout the world. In the Northeast United States, the Marcellus Shale formation has been one of the most active regions for new wells. This new drilling activity has created a visible economic impact to communities in and around the drilling sites. The increase in hotel activity metrics such as occupancy percentage and average daily rate has been noted but there has been no research that determines the total revenue impact of the drilling activity. This research does not attempt to factor in the social and environmental costs that have been discussed with the new drilling activities. This research studied the total revenue impact of the Marcellus Shale regions in the state of Pennsylvania. The state of Pennsylvania was chosen for this study as the state maintains detailed records on well development by county, while other states do not provide such data. Based on determinations made by a leading Marcellus Outreach Center, five distinct drilling “regions” were identified. Smith Travel Research provided hotel performance data. The performance indicators (demand, average daily rate, total revenue) of the hotels in the five drilling regions were tracked against the U.S. hotel industry performance indicators for comparable time periods. It was determined that approximately $685 million of hotel revenue has been generated by Marcellus Shale drilling activities. The incremental revenue was generated by both demand and average daily rate increases. This is a significant economic benefit to the drilling regions with increased tax collections for the taxing agencies and consumer spending by those visiting the region for drilling related activity. Approximately 65 new hotels were added in the drilling regions beyond what could have been expected with no drilling based on U.S. hotel industry supply trends. These new hotels are, almost exclusively, select-service, branded hotels. The average room size was 82 rooms, with an average employee count of 25 employees, the drilling has accounted for approximately 1,600 new hotel jobs plus whatever new jobs were added based on the increased occupancy levels of existing hotels. The cautionary note in the findings is that the 2012 data suggests that the demand may be stabilizing or decreasing. Demand in 2012 was flat at 0.0 but occupancy was down by 4.1% due to the increased supply. While the regions are still experiencing increased hotel revenues compared to a “non-Marcellus” scenario, the increase in hotel supply is making for a more challenging competitive environment for individual hotels. The finding suggest that new hotel development should begin early in a drilling environment and that hotels should have a long-term viability strategy as the long-term demand may stabilize or decrease. Sixty-two of the 65 new hotels are branded, 60 of those are select- service. Existing older and non-branded hotels will face a tougher operating environment and should have an exit strategy. Of the 14 hotels that closed in the drilling regions between 2006- 2012, 9 were independents and the average age of all 14 hotels was over 38 years old

The Future of Agriculture in Our Community: A Pilot Program to Increase Community Dialogue About Agricultural Sustainability

The Future of Agriculture in Our Community is a program developed to allow Pennsylvania communities to assess and address the needs of local agriculture. This article describes the program in detail and provides results from an evaluation conducted of the pilot program. Findings (n=55) suggest that the program was received very well among participants and seemed to increase community organization skills, knowledge of local agriculture, interest in agriculture and in community life, and intentions to participate in future volunteer efforts. Based on these results, recommendations are offered for those interested in pursuing similar programs

Did the Benue Trough connect the Gulf of Guinea with the Tethys Ocean in the Cenomanian? : New evidence from the Palynostratigraphy of the Yola Sub-basin

Acknowledgements: M.B. Usman gratefully acknowledges the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) for the award of a scholarship to study at the University of Aberdeen. The anonymous reviewers and the editor Eduardo Koutsoukos are thanked for their suggestions and corrections of the manuscript. We also acknowledge Roger David Burgess and Kelly Rebecca Snow for their technical assistance at the palynological laboratory of the University of Aberdeen.Peer reviewedPostprin

Petrological evidence in support of the death mask model for Ediacaran soft-bodied preservation in South Australia

Microbially mediated early diagenetic pyrite formation in the immediate vicinity of organic material has been the favoured mechanism by which to explain widespread preservation of soft-bodied organisms in late Ediacaran sedimentary successions, but an alternative rapid silicification model has been proposed for macrofossil preservation in sandstones of the Ediacara Member in South Australia. We here provide petrological evidence from Nilpena National Heritage Site and Ediacara Conservation Park to demonstrate the presence of grain-coating iron oxides, framboidal hematite, and clay minerals along Ediacara Member sandstone bedding planes, including fossil-bearing bed soles. SEM and petrographic data reveal that framboids and grain coatings, which we interpret as oxidized pyrite, formed before the precipitation of silica cements. In conjunction with geochemical and taphonomic considerations, our data suggest that anactualistically high concentrations of silica need not be invoked to explain Ediacara Member fossil preservation: we conclude that the pyritic ‘death mask’ model remains compelling.AGL is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council [grant number NE/L011409/2]. SM acknowledges support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement 747877 ... JJM recognises support from Mitacs ..

Residents\u27 Perceptions of Community and Environmental Impacts From Development of Natural Gas in the Marcellus Shale: A Comparison of Pennsylvania and New York Cases

Communities experiencing rapid growth due to energy development (‘boomtowns’) have reported positive and negative impacts on community and individual well-being. The perceptions of impacts vary according to stage of energy development as well as experience with extractive industries. Development of the Marcellus Shale provides an opportunity to examine these impacts over time and across geographic and historical contexts. This paper describes case study research in Pennsylvania and New York to document preliminary impacts of development occurring there. Cases vary by level of development and previous extractive history. The study finds that, in areas with low population density, higher levels of development lead to a broader awareness of natural gas impacts, both positive and negative. Participants draw from the regional history of extraction to express environmental concern despite direct, local experience. Our findings suggest the need to track these perceptions during development, and as individuals and communities react and adapt to the impacts

cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Regulates Desensitization of the Capsaicin Receptor (VR1) by Direct Phosphorylation

AbstractThe capsaicin receptor, VR1 (also known as TRPV1), is a ligand-gated ion channel expressed on nociceptive sensory neurons that responds to noxious thermal and chemical stimuli. Capsaicin responses in sensory neurons exhibit robust potentiation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). In this study, we demonstrate that PKA reduces VR1 desensitization and directly phosphorylates VR1. In vitro phosphorylation, phosphopeptide mapping, and protein sequencing of VR1 cytoplasmic domains delineate several candidate PKA phosphorylation sites. Electrophysiological analysis of phosphorylation site mutants clearly pinpoints Ser116 as the residue responsible for PKA-dependent modulation of VR1. Given the significant roles of VR1 and PKA in inflammatory pain hypersensitivity, VR1 phosphorylation at Ser116 by PKA may represent an important molecular mechanism involved in the regulation of VR1 function after tissue injury

Energy storage technology-environmental implications of large scale utilization

Environmental impacts for several energy storage technologies have been identified. State-of-the-art control technology options were similarly identified. Recommendations for research and development on new control technology were made where present controls were either deemed inadequate or non-existent. Specifically, the energy storage technologies under study included: advanced lead-acid battery, compressed air, underground pumped hydroelectric, flywheel, superconducting magnet and various thermal systems (sensible, latent heat and reversible chemical reaction). In addition, a preliminary study was conducted on fuel cell technology. Although not strictly classified as an energy storage system, fuel cells in conjunction with product recycling units can serve an energy storage function. A very large number of potential environmental impacts can be identified for all of these technologies. However, not all are of primary importance. Detailed discussions of a number of environmental impacts from the latest LASL study as they relate to primarily operational situations are emphasized. In addition, a brief discussion on new application for energy storage technologies and the additional costs of controls to be used for mitigation of specific impacts are also presented