Development of shale gas is "absolutely a game changer" Business Roundtable President John Engler said today at a symposium sponsored by the University of Michigan  Institute for Manufacturing Leadership and the University of Michigan Energy Institute. (Was reacting to the event's title, "Shale Gas: A Game Changer for American Manufacturing.")

Development of shale gas and shale oil has already brought with it new wealth, new jobs and a stronger manufacturing sector, Engler said. For example, the U.S. Census on Thursday released new population figures that showed that six out of the nation's 10 fastest-growing urban areas were within or near the Great Plains including Odessa, Texas; Midland, Texas; Fargo, N.D.-Minn.; Bismarck, N.D.; Casper, Wyo.; and Austin-Round Rock, Texas. (Fargo is actually about 250 miles away from any Bakken Formation oil drilling, a testament to how energy's economic benefits spread throughout a region.)

Engler also cited statistics from a McKinsey Global Institute report which projected that increased shale oil and gas activity could add $380–690 billion (2 to 4 percent) to annual U.S. GDP and create 1.7 million new permanent jobs by 2020. 

And let's not limit this discussion to just the United States, Engler added:

In a geopolitical sense, this ought to be a North American conversation. We think that’s really important. This is a North American revolution. The Mexican potential is significant. The political reforms, the changes being made down there under the new government are impressive. They happened in a short period of time. There’s a lot of implementation left, but they’re certainly correcting for policies which decades impaired their ability to participate fully [in the energy revolution].

Canada, with its production … certainly from the oil sands, the potential  for continental independence for energy from any other place in the world is absolutely real. We used to say, well, “sustainability.” We flat out believe you should talk about energy independence for North America today. With the U.S., Mexican and Canadian energy, you add all that up, it’s a very strong position.

Indeed, in 2012 Business Roundtable, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, and Mexico’s Consejo Mexicano de Hombres de Negocios cited energy as a key area in which the three countries could work more closely together: "North America is blessed with an abundance of energy resources.  While our three nations have a history of close cooperation on many energy matters, more can be done to reduce regulatory burdens that inhibit the quest for growth and North American energy self-reliance." (News release)

BRT's Engler closed by discussing the importance of education and training in supporting the energy sector, certainly with schools like the University of Michigan but also with the community colleges that train the many needed employees.

One post-script: Engler was followed by former Lockheed-Martin CEO Norm Augustine, also a great education reformer. Responding to a question, Augustine said he supported the Keystone XL pipeline. Great to hear!