According to Blue Ridge Biofuels, it can recycle cooking oil to create diesel energy and provide jobs to the people of Asheville. The BioDiesel can be used to heat homes and to power diesel vehicles. The recycling process will also help the Metropolitan Sewerage District as the grease will not clog up the sewer system.

The Biofuels Center in North Carolina has set up and funded a special pilot program in Asheville to place collection bins around the area, including landfills. The Blue Ridge Biofuels business administrator, Melita Kyriakou, said in a statement, “The more oil we collect, the more we can ultimately bring to Blue Ridge Biofuels to convert into clean, green biofuel to sell back to local residents. This will in turn increase production and decrease cost of biofuel within the region while decreasing the amount of tax dollars spent on sewer repairs.”

While other biofuel companies rely on soybean oil to manufacture their products, Blue Ridge relies on ordinary vegetable oil collected from restaurants, schools, camps, and is now asking the public to contribute in order to aid the recycling process. While the majority of cooking oil is shipped out of state to be used in animal feed at around $3,50 a gallon, Blue Ridge Biofuels can now make use of it locally and provide plenty of oil jobs in the process. Blue Ridge is working together with Green Opportunities, to facilitate the collection of the oil from recycling bins.

Aside from being environmentally friendly, the cooking oil biodiesel is also in par with ordinary diesel in terms of price, averaging $3,70 per gallon, although due to the tax exemption, consumers will save about 5 cents per gallon by opting for the recycled biodiesel. Many companies including those in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the City of Asheville are now using biodiesel in their fleet of trucks and many homeowners are also turning to this form of energy to heat their homes.

The biodiesel that Blue Ridge sells is a blend containing some petroleum, and this is done due to the fact that pure biodiesel will begin to turn into a gel at below freezing temperatures, which are experienced in Asheville and surrounding areas.

The founder of Blue Ridge Biofuels, Woodrow Eaton, said, “Phones are steadily ringing now at Blue Ridge Biofuels, where customers are ordering biodiesel for their home heating furnaces. Biodiesel is currently cheaper to use than straight petroleum diesel.” Prompted by some concerns from customers, he also added, “There’s no smell of french fries to their product. “If you’re getting any kind of smell from your furnace, that’s a problem you need to get fixed.”

Around 37 recycling bins will be placed around Asheville and surrounding areas, which will be recognizable by their bright orange labels. There will be blue 55 gallon drums, as well as black 100 and 300 gallon drums. They will be placed at the following places, River District Recycling Center, North Asheville Recycling Center, Buncombe County Landfill, Henderson County Landfill, and Madison County Landfill among others.

Working in the gas and oil industry, also means being employed in green or environmentally conscious companies such as Blue Ridge. To learn more about the kinds of oil and gas jobs you can get, including those that are green, visit Oil Job Finder. Here you will find out what jobs are available, what you can expect to earn, what qualifications you require, and what level of experience you need for each position.

The oil and gas shale boom of late has improved the U.S jobs market dramatically. This comes in the form of oilfield services such as the manufacturing of drilling equipment, pumps and pipes. Since September last year there has been a 10.3 % growth in the mining, oil and gas field machinery sector with gas shale jobs rising steadily, despite the otherwise dismal employment rate. Economist, Brian Davidson, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, said, “The rate of job growth is noteworthy,” comparing it to the total non-farm employment which rose only 1.2 % by the third quarter of 2011.

Oil and gas production giants, Halliburton, reported huge earnings for their third quarter and have announced that they will be hiring about 11,000 oil employees in the U.S. this year. They have invested $18 million into the North American sectors of their business to aid service delivery and improve its manufacturing infrastructure for future international growth. Another major oil manufacturing company, National Oilwell Varco (NOV) have also reported excellent earning and are looking at offering 5000 more oil jobs this year to aid in their production growth.

Some oil companies such as Chesapeake Energy have also decided to delve into the manufacturing side of things to meet demands, largely their own. They established a division known as Compass Manufacturing in 2007, when the boom first hit the U.S. To keep up with production, they have just opened a new 40,000 square foot assembly facility, and are hiring 75 people in the Oklahoma region through to the middle of 2012. They are looking to offer 700 oil jobs in total across their entire company during 2012.

Chesapeake Energy, produces valves, hosing, control systems and various other oil and gas products, working with many other companies, such as Nomac Drilling, who have been asked to build new rigs for natural shale gas, as well as to retrofit existing ones.

Steven Miller, Chesapeake’s senior vice president of drilling, said “Nomac is a great proxy for what shale has done to the market. Nomac didn’t exist 10 years ago and has gone from a startup in 2001 to more than 130 rigs now.” The plan to increase their staff to over 3500 next year and speed up production to 150 rigs next year.

James Minmier, the president of Nomac Drilling added, “For every well drilled in the US – and there are tens of thousands drilled each year – up to 200 people come and go across that well. All are high-paying jobs that infuse dollars into local communities.”

The gas jobs growth is a direct result of the new technologies that have allowed oil and gas companies to economically extract gas from shale rock, which before was too tightly packed to easily extract the gas.

James West, of Barclays Capital, an analyst of oil field services, said, “3.5m of horsepower in pressure pumping equipment will be added to the US market in 2011, and the same amount is likely in 2012. The US is adding $8-$10bn in economic activity just to build equipment to produce shale.”

According to research, the U.S. will soon become the largest producer of oil and gas on a barrel of energy basis, probably by the year 2020, overtaking Russia and Saudi Arabia. 

To learn more about working in the natural gas industry, gas production and oilfield services, and discover what oil and gas career options you have available, make sure you visit Oil Job Finder and become a member.

The Alaskan Energy for Jobs Act has been announced by the House Natural Resources Committee, which will open up the oil reserve in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Representative Don Young said that the Act would allow for “future energy production and job creation”. This Act is expected to be included in the recent Jobs Bill announced by the House of Representatives a week ago.

Young also commented, “As former chairman of both the House Natural Resources and Transportation Committees, I am proud of the fact that I am the only Member to pass both a highway bill and a bill opening ANWR out of the House. With the Highway Trust Fund struggling to stay in the black, we must find new sources of revenue to fund infrastructure projects. This is a common sense plan; the revenue generated from drilling in ANWR will help keep the Highway Trust Fund from defaulting and will create jobs at the same time.”

According to recent estimates by a recent Geological Survey, the Refuge has about 10.4 billion barrels of oil, and the Act will make half a million acres of the Alaskan coastal area available for drilling and production of this natural resource.

According to the Act, the Secretary of the Interior is set to “establish and implement a competitive oil and gas leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of the oil and gas resources of the coastal plain of Alaska, to ensure secure energy supplies for the continental Pacific coast of the United States, lower prices, and reduce imports, and for other purposes.”

Of course there will be special protections put in place for various areas of the reserve that are to remain unaffected, namely the 4000 acres surrounding the Sadlerochit warm water spring. The bill says, “The Secretary, after consultation with the state of Alaska, the city of Kaktovik, and the North Slope Borough, may designate up to a total of 45,000 acres of the plain as a Special Area if the Secretary determines that the Special Area is of such unique character and interest so as to require special management and regulatory protection.”

Future Alaska oil production jobs and Alaskan drilling jobs in the ANWR region could mean relief for many people in Alaska who are struggling with unemployment. Although it will still take time to come about, the new Act is also set to repair and create infrastructure which will only improve the economy of the area and aid job growth and development.

To find out more about the different types of oil and gas jobs that you can get in Alaska, and learn about what qualifications and training you need to get a job in the Alaskan oil industry, have a look at Alaska Job Finder and become a member. You will not only gain insight into the various forms of employment you can find in Alaska along with those in the oil sector, but also discover how to make an impact with your applications and resume. If you are looking for an exciting form of employment in Alaska, do not hesitate to check out the Job Board for current oil, tourism, and fishing job openings.

The time for new jobs in oil and gas, especially in oil drilling is slowly rising, thanks to new approvals and leases by the U.S. Government, specifically in Alaska. Obama has recently approved 500 oil drilling leases off the coast of Alaska, and many other projects are waiting in the wings for approval. Many people are still suffering with unemployment and many blame the fact that there are no jobs, however they overlook the jobs that are there, but just waiting on approval from the relevant parties.

In Philadelphia, around 1000 oil jobs will be created thanks to the $400 million construction of 2 huge oil tanker ships which will take place in the historic shipyard. The Exxon Mobile project will see each tanker weighing in at around 115 tons, creating plenty of oil construction jobs as well as oil rig jobs when the project is over. This is great news for the American economy as a whole, not just Philadelphia.

Another project underway is that of a new steel mill in Youngstown, Ohio. The mill will cost $650 million to build and will create over 350 natural gas jobs related to the manufacture of equipment for natural gas extraction.

Many other projects have been analyzed in the oil and gas industry and it is assumed that they will bring in a huge number of jobs, but face certain obstacles and await government approval before commencing. In New York for example, about 40,000 gas jobs could be created if the go ahead was given to pursue the hydraulic fracturing process. This employment figure is if only 300 wells are drilled, but there are many more in the area. Currently, the New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is working to overturn the moratorium on the hydraulic fracturing process for the State understanding the risks, but also aware of the fact that each of these new jobs will pay in the region of $80,000 each.

Similarly the new Keystone XL Pipeline Project, which will boost oil and gas employment dramatically all the way from Canada down to the U.S Gulf Coast, is still at a standstill. Backed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the pipeline is still waiting for approval from States like Nebraska. This halt is causing American’s to go without jobs, and according to a recent study released by Woods Mackenzie research company, if the red tape surrounding new local oil and gas production could be eliminated, or at least reduced, 1.4 million oil pipeline jobs and other oil jobs could be created almost immediately.

Aside from this, around $800 million in revenue will be seen and this will be in the form of high paying jobs, invested in by the private sector, not the tax payer. With all the facts and figures at your fingertips, you can see just how many employment opportunities are out there. They just need to be realized by the government approving the many oil and gas related projects that are all waiting.

If you want to be ready when it comes time for oil and gas industry hiring, you should check out all the available jobs on Oil Job Finder. Here you will learn all about oil and gas careers, and discover all the different kinds of jobs that are available in this sector. Aside from learning in depth information about each job, you will also find out more details about the different oil and gas projects that are currently employing workers, and discover what you need to study in order to get a job with any oil company.

So, you are looking for a high paying job, but you have no degree and have not attended a college. Should you just give up? Of course not! There are plenty of jobs that pay very high salaries where you need absolutely no degree whatsoever. Sound too good to be true? Well, to prove that these jobs do exist, here are the top 6 career options for those with no formal tertiary education.

Air Traffic Controller

As an air traffic controller, your job is to make sure that aircraft are kept safe when taking off and landing. You must also keep planes on course and to their correct schedules. As a new recruit you will earn about $17,800 per year, but you will receive training on the job, and as you gain more experience, you can eventually make up to $140,000 per year.

Bakken Shale

The oil industry has plenty of 100K jobs just waiting, especially in the Bakken Shale formation of North Dakota. This is like a modern day gold rush with jobs paying around $130,000 per annum with only 2 years of experience. Truck drivers who transport the oil out of the area are expected to make $100,000 and other jobs will see you earning a huge salary with little, if any, experience.

Powerhouse Substation Mechanic

Personnel are always required to work in substations repairing and maintaining the power supply of the town or city. On average this job pays $61,700 per year, but at the top of the group you can earn about $82,000. The training is intense and it is considered to be a dangerous occupation, but one where you only need a high school diploma to apply.

Elevator Mechanic

Not many people think about this as a career choice, but elevator mechanics are required in every town to ensure that building’s elevators run smoothly and to install new ones. These people earn in the region of $67,000 a year, but can make as much as $100,000. You do have to complete a 4 year course including classroom and on the job training, but you can do this without any other kind of degree.

Financial Advisor

Working as a financial advisor does not mean that you have to have any kind of finance degree, but you do need to be certified and you will get on the job training so that you can qualify. You will usually start out earning between $20,000 and $24,000 as an intern, but after about 5 years of experience many advisors earn more than $100,000.

Transportation Inspector

Many cities in the world, such as New York, rely heavily on public transportation, so there is a huge need for transportation inspectors to check and maintain these vital pieces of machinery. They keep the public safe and after only a few years of experience can earn $103,000 a year.

To learn more about other high paying jobs with no degree, visit 100K Job Finder.

With the oil and gas industry experiencing an increase in activity over recent month, so the demand for commercial truck drivers for the industry has increased. Workforce Solutions, as an example, has over 280 truck driver job listings for those working in the oil and gas industry.

The Director of Workforce Solutions, Carole Kolle, said, “Signs of the boom span beyond online job postings. They’re evident on billboards, signs and other venues companies use to advertise.” Workforce also offers training to those who want to become drivers, and Kolle added, “It’s definitely more than we have ever had before. It’s humongous.”

The interest in driving jobs also caused the Victoria College Truck Driving Training Center to expand its training to the Gonzales area. According to Sherri Pall, the director of the college’s workforce and continuing education the college now offers the two 5 to 6 week training courses to keep up with the demand. “I’ve been telling people the oil field is literally booming with truck driving activities,” she said, expecting it to continue until a pipeline is completed and reduces the need for transportation by truck.

Currently, all the trucking and transportation companies working in oil and gas industry have been noticing the increase which is around 40% higher since last year. The CEO of Klean Corp International, Robby Burdge, whose company provides chemistry and maintenance services to the oil and gas sector, has also noticed the need for more drivers, and similarly the need for better rates.

“It’s a supply-and-demand issue, that’s for sure. It’s a strain everywhere now, but it’s a good strain. The real problem is that drivers seem to shuffle from company to company, rather than new blood entering the region. Many vendors say it’s difficult to find trained, qualified workers.”

Despite this strain, the increased activity in the oil and trucking industry is a positive step for the region.
Burdge added, “It’s blessings abound – Victoria is meeting the need, but it’s difficult. But if it was easy, everybody would do it.”

Looking closely at the oil and gas industry, many companies have taken advantage of the new hiring trends, such as Schneider National, who recently updated its business model to meet with the energy boom. After some research into the oil and gas business, they started hiring driving professionals, noting that many come from the Florida region.

As a first year driver, you can expect to earn around $50,000 per year, with the more advanced drivers earning roughly $65,000. Schneider recruitment manager, Joe Phillips said, “In Florida, anything past Orlando is like the kiss of death for drivers. You’ve got orange juice and tin cans. You’ve got to go where things are happening in the trucking area.”

The company is also looking to hire other professionals to work in the office side of things. Phillips said, “We plan on even opening a Victoria office. It’s in the works as we speak. This is long term for us.” Currently they have spoken to 243 potential drivers and hired 22 as a definite. A further 45 were undergoing background checks and medical evaluations.

If you want to learn more about trucking jobs and truck driving opportunities all around the country, including those in the oil and gas industry, you should visit Oil Job Finder today and become a member. Here you will also discover other kinds of oil jobs and gas careers that you can go into, whether it is working on the pipelines to drilling or being part of the exploration team. As a member you will also gain access to the job board and receive regular tips and advice.

Ohio is being looked at closely as the next oil and gas boom. This comes after various studies have taken place and research has gone into the development of the Utica Shale formation. The Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) released a recent study about how the economy is being positively affected by the State’s oil industry.

The economic study showed the impact of the oil development over the next 5 years. William Siskovic, a board member of the OOGEEP and President of Everflow Eastern Partners LP said, “Ohio’s natural gas and crude oil industry has played an important role in sustaining and securing the state’s energy and economic future for more than 150 years. We strongly believe that the industry will continue to play an important role in the state’s economic recovery and resurgence.”

The in depth research was organized and compiled by a Cleveland based research firm with help from The Ohio State University, Marietta College, Zane State College, and Central Ohio Technical College. Along with the analysis of how the Utica Shale will benefit the economy, projections from 2011 to 2015 were also included. The General Manager for Energy at JobsOhio commented, “Pursuing oil and gas exploration in the Utica has the potential to turn Ohio’s economy around. It’s an amazing economic opportunity.”

These projections target 5 specific aspects, namely personal income, tax revenues, jobs, royalties, and GSP (gross state product). It revealed that more than 200 thousand oil exploration jobs, oil drilling jobs, oil production jobs, and oil pipleline construction jobs could be created and supported. It is estimated that by 2015, the state could experience an income boost in the region of $12 billion. Payments to the communities surrounding the formation, such as schools and businesses in royalties could equate to around $1.6 billion, which is more than has been distributed in the last decade.

Approximately $479 billion in tax revenue is estimated and the GSP is expected to be around $12.3 billion with a statewide output of more than $23 billion. The Executive Director of the OOGEEP, Rhonda Rede said, “The data clearly demonstrates the transformative force oil and gas exploration and development could have on the state’s economy. Ohio has been given great geological gifts and the economic potential is tremendous.”

The Utica Shale formation is still in the process of being developed for drilling, but the first well was drilled in 1860 and the natural gas and crude oil industry has been contributing to the economy on an ongoing basis since then. As of 2010, nearly 13 thousand oil jobs were reported in Ohio with earnings in the region of $793 million per year. With 64 active wells at the moment throughout the 49 counties, Ohio is currently the 4th largest oil producer in the United States.

The Executive Vice President of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, Tom Stewart, responded to the study, “For well over a century, Ohio has been blessed with plentiful oil and natural gas resources. Today, Ohio is beginning a new era of oil and gas exploration made possible by a triumph of technology that is unlocking reservoirs that until now were not accessible. The result will be the development of vast new supplies of reliable energy and the creation of jobs in the oil and gas sector, as well as in other business sectors, who are counting on this resource to expand authentic economic opportunity in Ohio.”

To find out more about exciting oil and gas career opportunities, visit Oil Job Finder.

Over 54,000 oil and gas jobs could be created in the industry in Alaska, if the production levels return to the way they were before the moratorium was introduced. This is according to the president of the US Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Donahue. He is trying to urge the US Congress and President Barack Obama to consider leasing offshore oil and gas fields and expanding across federal lands. He said that if the levels were returned to the way they were, the Gulf of Mexico could create 190,000 jobs by the year 2013.

“Let American energy workers and businesses responsibly develop all sources of domestic energy immediately,” he recommended in a letter to the Senate Members, and the Obama U.S House. “This will not only create jobs but will generate new government revenue, protect our energy security, and release us from the grip of some unfriendly governments.”

This proposal includes approving the Keystone XML Pipeline running from Canada. The expansion and development also includes creating 530,000 jobs by 2025, which will increase the government revenue by $206 billion, and reduce the imports by 44%.

“Expanding the development of the nation’s massive shale gas deposits would create hundreds of thousands of jobs and help bring manufacturing back to the United States, especially in the chemicals and steel industries,” said Donahue. “By 2020, gas production in western Pennsylvania alone could create 116,000 new jobs, generate more than $2 billion in government revenue, and add $20 billion to the region’s economy.”

The Keystone Project is instrumental in creating 250,000 Alaskan jobs and will boost the economy of the area by $20 billion. It will also create over $585,000 million in government revenues. Some of the ideas to speed up the oil and gas production process in Alaska include putting a limit on the number of months allowed for environmental research. He says that risk assessment reports and environmental reviews should be set at a limit of six months. “Accelerating the permitting process would quickly mobilize economic activity, construction, and hiring from one end of our country to the other,” he said.

To find out more about oil and gas industry jobs, please visit Oil Job Finder and Alaska Job Finder, where you can become a member and start searching and applying for jobs right away. You will discover the different types of jobs available, what you need to study to qualify, what the hours and working conditions are like, and more.

U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Enforcement and Regulation (BOEMRE) has given the Shell Oil Company conditional approval to begin drilling exploration oil wells in the Beaufort Sea as of July 2012. This approval has been given with the condition that Shell obtains all the necessary legal permits from relevant environmental agencies upon a full impact assessment of the area. The go ahead could mean plenty of oil industry jobs.

Shell spokesperson Curtis Smith said, “The conditional approval of our plan of exploration is welcome news and adds to our cautious optimism that we will be drilling our Alaska leases by this time next year. Shell’s Beaufort Sea plan of exploration includes drilling up to four wells over two years in the Beaufort Sea beginning in July of 2012. In a separate plan of exploration, Shell is pursuing a drilling program in the Chukchi Sea that would also commence in 2012. Shell has taken extraordinary steps to build confidence around our exploration program. We stand ready to deploy the most robust Arctic oil spill response system known to industry and, in accordance with the BOEMRE’s requirements, Shell has shown that our oil spill response capability exceeds our calculated worst-case discharge volume for the wells being proposed. Additionally, Shell remains committed to fabricating an oil spill capping system, which is designed to capture hydrocarbons at the source in the extremely unlikely event of a shallow water blowout. The capping system will remain staged in Alaska to allow for rapid deployment.”

The decision was based on various environmental factors and information taken from energy development in the Arctic, the director of BOEMRE, Michael Bromwich, explained, “We will closely review and monitor Shell’s proposed activities to ensure that any activities that take place under this plan will be conducted in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.”

Hundreds of oil exploration jobs are expected to be created once this plan is finalized. Senator Lisa Murkowski revised the approval as a “positive step forward.” She state, “If this plan is allowed to advance this time, it could help address many of our most pressing challenges, creating tens of thousands of new jobs, generating hundreds of billions of dollars in new tax revenues, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and improving our trade balance.”

Despite disappointment and outrage from environmentalists and various environmental organizations, the congress praised the decision wholeheartedly. Sen. Murkowski said in a prepared statement, “Shell has been working to secure approval of this plan for over five years. This is another positive step forward, and I’m hopeful that they will soon be able to move forward with exploration and production in the Beaufort.”

The approval gives Shell an exploration permit lasting 2 years in which they can explore 4 wells just off Camden Bay. If the plan goes ahead, you will find plenty of Alaska job openings which you can apply for including oil drilling jobs, oil exploration jobs, and more.

If you want to learn more about the types of oil jobs you can get, visit Oil Job Finder. Here you will gain access to a huge database of oil and gas industry professionals, employers and training programs. You will find out what types of oil and gas jobs you can get, as well as discover how much you can earn, what the working hours and conditions are like and where are the best places to find work. Oil jobs can also be found through the Job Board and you will also find application tips and interview advice so that you have the best chance of getting an oil job or gas job.

The oil and gas industry in Texas is increasing to pre-recession highs with over 224,200 oil exploration and oil production jobs in the area. This makes the oil and gas employment rate the highest it has been in Texas since October 2008, when it had its last oil industry peak, according to Karr Ingham, the creator of the Texas Petroleum Index (TPI) which is a composite based on various economic indicators like production volumes, commodity prices, drilling data and more.

“In the past 12 months, the industry has added more than 28,600 jobs, which is nearly 13 percent of all jobs added to the Texas economy,” said Ingham. “That’s really an accomplishment, considering the TPI in June indicates the industry still has not recovered to the level of economic health that created the last jobs milestone.”

“In the current expansion, the industry has returned to its crude oil roots, but even at that, it is not the same industry as it was in the 1980s and 1990s,” Ingham said.

Even though the industry has not returned to its highest employment rates as yet, all indicators suggest that it is heading that way. Natural gas prices are currently lower than they were during the 2002 – 2008 boom, and the oil rig count is still about 100 short of its prior amount.

This said, over the last year, the oil and gas industry has added about 13 percent to the economy of Texas, and between May and June 2011 alone, about 10% of the 32 thousand jobs that were introduced were in the oil and gas field.

Another finding was the fact that oil production beat out natural gas as the number one fossil fuel of choice for the first 6 months of 2011 which is a move away from the trend starting in 1997.

With employment reaching record highs in the gas and oil sector, it is now the ideal time to look for energy employment. Jobs in the oil and gas industry range from drilling jobs to oil rig jobs, pipeline jobs, natural gas jobs, oil refinery jobs and more. 

If you want to learn more about the various oil and gas jobs that are available in Texas and all around the world, have a look at Oil Job Finder. Here you will gain access to over 120 pages of information about oil jobs and gas jobs. There is also detailed advice and tips given about how to apply for these jobs, what to study, where to find the best job opportunities, what the working conditions are like, and much more.