Please disable your Ad Blocker to better interact with this website.

Jannah Theme License is not validated, Go to the theme options page to validate the license, You need a single license for each domain name.
CommentariesEnergyGovernment PoliciesNews

Commentary: Dear Mr. President – Let Appalachia’s Energy Lead the Way

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

Commentary by Dave Callahan, Charlie Burd and Rob Brundrett originally published by RealClearEnergy and RealClearWire

Getting our economy back on track, protecting our environment and generating a renewed “Made-in-America” spirit are areas of common ground among Americans – no matter political affiliation or home state. And key to achieving these shared goals is domestic, affordable and clean energy.

As the country’s most sustainable and abundant source of natural gas, President Biden should look to the Appalachian Basin for energy solutions as he gives his State of the Union Address.

Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia sit atop the Marcellus and Utica shale plays, two of the most prolific natural gas bearing rock formations in the world. Producers here supply roughly one-third of all U.S. natural gas production while playing a key role in our country and global emission reductions.

As Appalachia’s production increased 13% between 2018-2020, independent third party benchmarking data shows greenhouse gas emissions intensity from the industry declined 20%.

While this region leads in energy production, environmental progress and sustaining careers close to home, certain policies and a challenging federal regulatory environment has hindered our ability to continue to grow.

Infrastructure development – including pipelines and export terminals – are necessary to safely transport Appalachian-produced energy across our country and the world. But the current regulatory environment, in addition to both physical and legal blockades, chokes our region’s ability to compete and contribute to energy security both here and abroad.

As energy research analysts recently warned, pipeline issues in the Marcellus “threaten to change entire US gas market game” because we’re inadvertently cutting ourselves off from a resource that can be harvested at a low cost. New England states, once again, are forced to import natural gas from foreign nations, because politics have blocked necessary infrastructure growth.

And, moving natural gas to the growing southeast where it’ll be used for clean, reliable power generation, manufacturing and heating homes, continues to be blocked as the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which is 95% constructed, contends with legal delays and regulatory limbo.

These infrastructure capacity challenges, while seemingly local, have significant implications worldwide. If the past year has proven anything, it’s that access to energy is fundamental to human life and keeping people safe. Exports of American natural gas have relieved Europe from Russia’s energy chokehold – let’s expand those opportunities by opening up additional access points along the East Coast.

In addition to predictable permit timeframes and providing a clear path for much needed infrastructure, policies that incentivize manufacturing and other industrial projects to invest in Appalachia should be a top priority.

Our abundant supply of low cost, versatile, clean natural gas gives America the competitive edge over other regions to reshore American manufacturing. In fact, commercial developers estimate manufacturing investment has topped $100 billion in the region because of easy access to affordable Appalachian natural gas.

These investments – like Shell’s petrochemical facility in Pennsylvania, Nucor Steel’s newest project in West Virginia, and developments along southeast Ohio’s energy terminal – are examples of what happens when businesses and lawmakers get it right and prioritize finding solutions to make lasting, positive impacts on our communities and for the environment.

But the pro-growth sentiment starts at the top. We need President Biden and lawmakers in Congress to put politics aside and get to work supporting the continued development and use of this reliable, affordable, Appalachian-made fuel.
__________

Dave Callahan is President of the Pennsylvania-based Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC).

Charlie Burd is Executive Director of the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia (GO-WV).

Rob Brundrett is President of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA).

This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.

Deneen Borelli

Deneen Borelli is the author of Blacklash: How Obama and the Left are Driving Americans to the Government Plantation. Deneen is a contributor with Newsmax Broadcasting. She is a former Fox News contributor and has appeared regularly on “Hannity,” “Fox & Friends,” “Your World with Neil Cavuto,” and “America’s Newsroom.” She has also appeared on Fox Business Network programs “Making Money with Charles Payne,” “The Evening Edit with Liz MacDonald,” and “Cavuto: Coast to Coast.” Previously, Deneen appeared on MSNBC, CNN, the BBC and C-SPAN. In addition to television, Deneen co-hosted radio programs on the SiriusXM Patriot channel with her husband Tom. Recently, Deneen co-hosted the Reigniting Liberty podcast with Tom. Deneen is a frequent speaker at political events, including the FreedomWorks 9.12.2009 March on D.C. which drew a crowd estimated at over 800,000 people. Deneen is also an Ambassador with CloutHub.com, a social media platform that promotes free speech, and with the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) which advances policies that put Americans first. Deneen testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources in May 2011 and before the Ohio House Public Utilities Committee in December 2011. Previously, Deneen was a BlazeTV.com host, Outreach Director with FreedomWorks.org overseeing its Empower.org outreach program, a Project 21 Senior Fellow, and Manager of Media Relations with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Prior to joining CORE, Deneen worked at Philip Morris USA for 20 years. During her corporate career at Philip Morris she worked in various positions, her last as Project Management Coordinator in the Information Management department where she was responsible for the department’s mandated quality processes, communications, sales information and database management. Deneen began her Philip Morris career as a secretary and advanced to positions of increasing responsibilities. Deneen worked full-time and attended classes at night for 11 years to earn her B.A. in Managerial Marketing from Pace University, New York City. Deneen served on the Board of Trustees with The Opportunity Charter School in Harlem, New York. She appeared in educational videos for children, worked as a runway fashion model, and auditioned for television commercials. Her interests include ancient history, pistol target shooting, photography, and volunteering at her church. Deneen currently resides in Connecticut with her husband Tom.

Related Articles