CBS 19 - The Eye of East Texas News - Oil giant moves in to East Texas

Oil giant moves in to East Texas

Longview, TX (KYTX)

By Wilton Johnson

It's a big boost to Harrison County's economy. BP America opens its new East Texas and north Louisiana Operations Center in Hallsville. The 25 acre campus gives BP the location it needs to focus on natural gas drilling in the Haynseville Shale. It's a roughly 13 million dollar investment chuck and they picked Hallsville because this facility is actually a consolidation of BP outposts in Carthage, Marshall and Longview.

Harrison County Judge Richard Anderson is seeing green at BP America's new Hallsville facility. First, how the company is going green in Brazil.

"Having been in South America where BP is now working with sugar cane in order to produce alternative fuels."

But more importantly, the green that comes from its 13 million dollar facility in Harrison County. The company consolidated its three East Texas centers into this 25,000 square foot operations center in order to tackle natural gas exploration in the Haynesville Shale.

"It is versatile. It can be used for transportation, light and heat. Natural gas electricity is some of the cheapest and cleanest burning and it's abundant and here."

State Representative Bryan Hughes applauded the move saying you don't need a cap and tax mentality to know natural gas is a step toward independence from oil.

"Hopefully our friends in Washington will realize the free market works. Companies know what they're doing, citizens know what they're doing and taxpayers know how to do these things without the government dictating these things to us."

Judge Anderson hopes while BP invests in East Texas through the Haynesville Shale, some of its grander ideas are born here as well.

"BP is working on that and microbiology and solar and wind and importantly to us natural gas and oil."

BP officials say about 450 employees and contractors will be based at the Hallsville facility and if natural gas prices go up, which they are expected to, there could be an additional 100 people hired on.