Just the Facts: Make Your Vote Count for Pennsylvania Energy!

PIOGA’s October Just the Facts has a simple message: the 2022 midterm elections are a month away, and policies related to energy development, both in Pennsylvania and nationwide, continue to be a critical part of the political dialogue. Our industry’s votes matter, and PIOGA encourages members to engage in the political process and during the month of October learn more about the positions of various candidates for office. . To start, here is an outline of the positions on energy from the campaign websites for candidates for Governor and U.S. Senate. . Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro’s summary statement on energy and the environment can be found here. It begins with this introduction: “Pennsylvania is one of the most important energy-producing states in the entire country. The Commonwealth is the second largest natural gas producing state in the nation and the largest electricity exporter in the entire country. As an energy powerhouse with an incredibly diverse economy, we have everything we need to be a national and global leader on charting a path towards a low carbon future while continuing to create stable, good-paying jobs and grow our economy.” . His Republican opponent, Doug Mastriano, titles his position to “Unshackle Our Energy Sector” by stating: “On day one, Mastriano will pull Pennsylvania out of Tom Wolf’s disastrous “Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.” He’ll encourage investments in the natural gas and coal industries, and he’ll lift Tom Wolf’s unreasonable regulations, taxes, and fees on these industries. Under Mastriano, Pennsylvania will drill and mine like it should, and Pennsylvania will prosper.” Mastriano also stresses the need to slash regulations and reduce the time needed to review and process permits from state agencies, including a specific 45-day review period for oil and gas wells. . Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz’s website highlights the importance of “Energy Independence” with the following summary position: “Pennsylvania is a leader in the production of natural gas and coal. The Biden Administration has launched an attack on the energy industry stifling domestic energy production and weakening the U.S. position in energy production. These attacks have resulted in skyrocketing gas and energy prices and made our current energy options less reliable. Dr. Oz will work to overturn these heavy-handed regulations that are hurting Pennsylvania jobs and our local communities.” . Finally, his Democratic opponent, John Fetterman’s campaign position on energy is summarized here, which includes this key statement related to natural gas and clean energy: “I believe that climate change is an existential threat, and we need to transition to clean energy as quickly as possible. But we must do it in a way that preserves the union way of life for the thousands of workers currently employed or supported by the natural gas industry in Pennsylvania and the communities where they live. We need to make sure that as we transition we honor and uphold the union way of life for workers across Pennsylvania, and create thousands of good-paying union jobs in clean energy in the process.” . Turning to reports in the race for governor – the position with the greatest potential to impact Pennsylvania energy production – it has been noted that Shapiro has not committed to keeping Pennsylvania in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), but also, as Attorney General, issued a report in 2020 claiming the state had “failed to protect citizens” with the emergence of shale development. The report included several proposals, including the establishment of unconventional well setbacks of 2,500 feet from any occupied building and increasing the Attorney General’s ability to pursue criminal charges for environmental crimes. . Mastriano has stated he will withdraw the state from RGGI, effective immediately, and proposes to lift the current leasing ban for oil and gas development on state land. He has also proposed to cap permit fees for oil and gas wells that could only be changed by legislation. Finally, Mastriano has pushed for “energy choice” policies that would prevent municipalities from banning the future use of energy sources such as natural gas. . Finally, SpotlightPA published a story here on the gubernatorial candidates’ position on energy and the environment on October 4. .

. State House and Senate Races . The visibility of the Gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races should not overshadow the continuing importance of electing candidates to the state legislature who recognize the importance of energy development in the Commonwealth and favor policies that encourage oil and natural gas production and transportation. PIOGA encourages members to review the positions of those candidates and consider reaching out to them to stress the importance of our industry to the state’s future and its economy. . This is especially important this year in the case of the state House of Representatives, where 44 members are either retiring or lost their primary races, and where five additional members are running for State Senate seats. Looking ahead, these new members will likely need to be educated about the challenges our industry faces, as well as the opportunities to grow energy production here. .

THE FACTS ARE CLEAR: While overused and predictable, the expression “elections have consequences” rings true, and even more so with the current political environment in Harrisburg and Washington. PIOGA encourages members to be informed voters, and to “vote for energy” next month. Know as well that your association will be heavily engaged next year when a new governor and new members of the state legislature are sworn into office.

. Click HERE to download/print the Make Your Vote Count for Pennsylvania Energy!

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