Southwest Mississippi Oil & Gas Cluster Analysis

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Master of Science in Economic Development (MSED) students recently presented their summer 2013 capstone project, the Southwest Mississippi Cluster Analysis, to community leaders at the Southwest Community College in Summit.  At the beginning of the summer, the Southwest Mississippi Partnership and Entergy commissioned USM to analyze the potential for oil and gas/chemical and polymer clusters to develop in the southwestern region of Mississippi and eastern region of Louisiana. 

The study area is part of the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) region, where hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is expected to unlock seven billion barrels of oil and natural gas creating an economic boom for the region.  In addition to attracting the oil and gas industry, other industries (e.g., chemical, polymer, and other energy intensive manufacturers) might be expected to locate in the region since the output from fracking is one of their key inputs.

The student team included Alex Pickle, Bryan Parker, Daniel Assamah, Faisal Mallum, Golda Sharpe, James Dickens, Josiah Ball, Molly Egloff, and Wuyang Wang. The team used public and proprietary data along with research methodologies learned in their MSED studies to assess current industries in the region and the clustering effect of the petroleum extraction and petrochemical industries.

View the full report here Southwest Mississippi Cluster Analysis.pdf