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ROB MCCLENDON: WELL WITH AN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WELL BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, SOME OKLAHOMA
COMPANIES ARE EXPERIENCING A PROBLEM MOST STATES COULD ONLY WISH FOR, MORE JOBS THAN
THERE ARE QUALIFIED APPLICANTS. WHICH IS WHY A SCHOOL IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA IS GEARING UP
TO FILL THE NEED. JOINING ME NOW IS OUR COURTENAY DEHOFF.
COURTENAY DEHOFF: AS THE HOME OF THE US STRATEGIC OIL RESERVE, CUSHING IS KNOWN AS THE PIPELINE
CROSSROADS OF AMERICA. AND JUST DOWN THE ROAD AT CENTRAL TECH IN NEARBY DRUMRIGHT, THEY
ARE MEETING A CRITICAL NEED FOR SPECIALIZED TECHNICIANS TO WORK ON THE PIPLEINES AND KEEP
THEM SAFE. IT’S A NOT SO TRADITIONAL PIPE CUTTING;
CELEBRATING THE GRAND OPENING OF A FACILITY THAT IS SURE TO PROVE AS VITAL TO THE ECONOMY
AS THE LIQUID GOLD THAT FLOWS UNDERNEATH THE SOIL. IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
TRADING HUB FOR CRUDE OIL IN NORTH AMERICA. BRIAN BINGMAN: WITH ALL THE INTERNAL, THE
SHALE ACTIVITY GOING ON THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, THIS WOULD BE AN ASSET FOR, REALLY FOR THE
WHOLE COUNTRY. COURTENAY: BUT A CRITICAL PIECE OF THE NEVER
ENDING MAZE IS MISSING, SAFETY. AND CENTRAL TECH IN DRUMRIGHT, JUST MILES FROM CUSHING,
IS STEPPING UP AND PROVIDING THE MISSING NUTS AND BOLTS AT THEIR PIPELINE AND SAFETY TRAINING
CENTER; SENATE PRESIDENT, BRIAN BINGMAN. BINGMAN: WHAT YOU SEE HERE TODAY IS A NEED
IN THE INDUSTRY FOR TRAINING FOR PIPELINE SAFETY; SO, FOR CAREER TECH TO INVEST THE
MONEY AND THE RESOURCES TO HAVE THIS FACILITY HERE IS HUGE FOR, NOT ONLY FOR MY DISTRICT
HERE IN CREEK COUNTY, BUT FOR ALL OF OKLAHOMA. LAST YEAR THEY TRAINED OVER 27,000 PEOPLE
FOR THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY; AND, OIL AND GAS IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE MAJOR COMPONENTS
IN OUR ECONOMY IN OKLAHOMA. COURTENAY: AND PEOPLE MAY BE SURPRISED AT
JUST HOW MAJOR OF COMPONENT OIL AND NATURAL GAS ARE TO THE AREA; REPRESENTATIVE LEE DENNEY.
LEE DENNEY: GROWING UP IN CUSHING WE DID NOT KNOW THAT; IT TRULY WAS A SECRET. WE HAD REFINERIES
IN CUSHING AND YOU KNEW THEY WERE THERE BECAUSE, OH, SEASONALLY THEY EMITTED QUITE A STRONG
ODOR; AND, WE USED TO JOKE THAT, THAT WAS THE SMELL OF MONEY. IT’S ONE OF THE STATES
MOST VALUABLE ASSETS AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED. I THINK IT IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE USED FOR
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND IT’S ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO PROTECT AS FAR AS NATIONAL
SECURITY. COURTENAY: BUT JUST AS IMPORTANT AS PROTECTING
THE RESOURCE, WE MUST PROTECT THE WORKERS AND UNTIL NOW THERE WAS A MAJOR VOID IN PIPELINE
SAFETY TRAINING. BINGMAN: THE ECONOMICS OF PIPELINE SAFETY,
YOUR WORKERS COMP, AND TRYING TO TEACH PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THE SAFETY FACTOR INVOLVED; I THINK
THIS IS VERY CRITICAL AS WE MOVE FORWARD. COMPANIES ARE TRYING TO BE VERY EFFICIENT
IN THE WAY THEY DO BUSINESS SO I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE SAFETY FACTOR IS A STRONG
COMPONENT THAT COMPANIES LOOK AT IN THEIR WORKFORCE. SO, IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE
THE TRAINED WORKFORCE THAT KNOWS ALL ABOUT THE SAFETY.
COURTENAY: AND COMPANIES ARE RECOGNIZING THAT. JASON WHITE: IT’S REQUIRED BY THE COMPANY
WE WORK FOR. COURTENAY: JASON WHITE IS A STUDENT IN THE
CLASS AND SAYS SAFETY IS IMPORTANT IN ALL THAT THEY DO.
JASON: AT WE PUT IN GAS LINES, FIX LEAKS, AND INSTALL ANODES.
HAL WESTROPE: WE HAVE ANOTHER LEAK. COURTENAY: AND HIS TEACHER HAL WESTROPE SAYS
WE DEPEND ON PEOPLE LIKE JASON. WESTROPE: A PIPELINE IN THE ENERGY BUSINESS
IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND WITHOUT THE PROPER OPERATION, WE NOT ONLY DAMAGE THE ENVIRONMEN,T
YOU CAN HURT PEOPLE; BUT NOBODY WOULD HAVE FUEL, EITHER TO HEAT HOMES, RUN CARS, OR ANYTHING
ELSE. AND A PIPELINE IS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO TRANSPORT FUEL FROM ONE LOCATION TO
ANOTHER. COURTENAY: AND FOR NOW AT CENTRAL TECH, THEY’LL
JUST KEEP CLICKING AWAY, ONE STEP CLOSER TO SAFETY.
ALL INSIDE A 16,000 SQUARE FOOT TRAINING FACILITY CONTAINING FULLY-SIMULATED OIL AND GAS COMPUTER
CONTROLS, PIPELINE MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT, LABORATORIES, AND MUCH MORE.
ROB: WELL IT CERTAINLY SOUNDS STATE-OF-THE-ART, AND I GUESS JUST ONE MORE COMPONENT OF AN
INDUSTRY THAT STRETCHES ACROSS OUR STATE’S ECONOMY.
COURTENAY: IT REALLY IS ROB; THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY ACCOUNTS FOR 300,000 JOBS AND ROUGHLY
14 BILLION DOLLARS IN LABOR INCOME. ROB: ALRIGHT, THANK YOU SO MUCH COURTENAY.