The possibility of up to seven billion barrels of oil in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale formation in southwest Mississippi and central Louisiana has led the McComb (Miss.) Board of Selectmen to vote in favor of annexing 40 acres for the construction of a 535-unit modular workforce community. Shale Lodge will include a cafeteria, laundry and recreational facilities similar to other workforce accommodations that MHProNews has reported on in the Bakken Shale region of western North Dakota that has drawn thousands of job seekers. Metairie, Louisiana-based CMS Consultants is building the complex that is part of the proposed 240-acre Gateway Industrial Park in Pike County. The city will borrow up to $600,000 to develop the infrastructure site, according to clarionledger.com, and stands to cover the cost of the loan in tax revenues over the next five years. Dozens of wells are being drilled in the area. ##

(Photo credit: Casy Page/willistonherald.com–Kari Andren and Mary Pipla check out modular mancamp accommodations in Williston, North Dakota)