It’s misleading to say that shale-gas producers are removing wealth from our state. In fact, quite the opposite is true.

They pay landowners hefty fees for the privilege of leasing their land. Workers for these producers are paid very high salaries (the average is more than $70,000) to explore for shale gas. The boost in manufacturing, construction and other industries has been the driving force for our economic recovery and a major boon for previously struggling areas of the state.

How can anyone realistically think that Utica Shale production is bad for the wealth of Ohio? It’s an absurd argument, and it’s being used to advocate for an absurd tax. The Dispatch is shilling for a massive hike in the state’s severance tax on drillers who are profiting from Ohio's oil- and gas-rich shale resources.

Perhaps the editors don’t realize just how many Ohioans are better off due to shale gas production. But for landowners, workers and everyone else who benefits from the spin-off jobs (and the affordable natural gas that’s being produced), a severance-tax hike is bad news.

Ohio’s economy is growing in large part thanks to shale gas. The energy companies producing it pay their fair share to our state. They are contributing greatly to state and local governments in the form of taxes and fees both directly and indirectly.

They are creating jobs and growing our economy. I’m amazed thatThe Dispatch is suggesting otherwise.