The United States is on the verge of an economic “renaissance” thanks to abundant shale gas — and that demands a smart energy policy, Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris said Thursday. “The discovery of shale gas is an American manufacturing renaissance if handled well,” he said on CNBC’s “The Kudlow Report.” “It makes America a low-cost jurisdiction for any energy-intensive manufacturing of the value-add kind. One dollar of gas can create $8 to $9 of the value-add kind.” Earlier, Dow announced it was building a $1.7 billion ethylene production plant in Freeport, Texas, scheduled to open in 2017. The facility is part of Dow Chemical’s $4 billion plan to expand production of ethylene and propylene, products of shale gas extracted via fracking methods. The company estimated the Texas project would employ up to 4,800 construction workers. Liveris also said that the plant would create 3,000 to 4,000 new jobs, as well as 35,000 indirect jobs. “We’re still short of being the America we can be,” he said. “But we’re on our way, thankfully, due to the American oil and gas industry giving us cheap and abundant energy.”

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