In this election year, American energy once again is on the ballot.
Think about it: Every American voter’s life is touched in important ways, every day, by the availability of reliable, affordable energy – for transportation, for keeping the lights on at home and at work, and for countless products and conveniences that define America’s modern standard of living.
To meet those daily needs, energy policy matters.
It matters as well to America’s future, because no nation can remain truly free if its immediate and long-term energy supply isn’t secure.
This election cycle, energy is on the ballot when voters consider which candidates will support American-made natural gas and oil.
Pennsylvanians, like millions of other Americans, appreciate these points. Affordable prices at the pump – gasoline at the start of July cost 5 cents less per gallon than it did at this time last year – have helped during summer driving season.
Yet, policy choices in Washington can affect Pennsylvania families and businesses and Americans everywhere. These include restrictions on access to domestic natural gas and oil resources, as well as an EPA tailpipe emissions regulation that effectively puts bureaucrats in charge of vehicle selection. The regulation mandates that nearly a third of new passenger vehicles sold must be electric or plug-in hybrids by model year 2027, rising to more than two-thirds by model year 2032. These policies could lead to less reliable and more expensive energy and transportation sources.
Sadly, they aren’t the only policy misfires. The U.S. Energy Department’s freeze on new and pending liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, EPA’s new refinery rules, and restrictions on power plants exemplify this regulatory policy offensive against the U.S. natural gas and oil industry. Further, recent regulations have put bipartisan permitting reform far out of reach, hindering needed infrastructure projects of all kinds, not just those supporting natural gas and oil. These actions could have long-lasting consequences in the Keystone State, making transportation, heating and infrastructure construction more costly.
For instance, columnist Salena Zito reported on the impact of the LNG freeze on Pennsylvania farmers leasing natural gas mineral rights. Per the American Exploration and Production Council, LNG exports generated over $193 million in royalties for Pennsylvania families. No wonder the LNG freeze prompted several Pennsylvania officials to come out in strong opposition.
Regional actions are equally troubling. Midwestern oil refineries – supplying Pennsylvanians in Pittsburgh and other western parts of the state with gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, etc. – rely on pipelines such as Line 5. Yet U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland recently expressed a desire to halt Line 5 operations swiftly.
Polling indicates Americans want a different approach to energy. API has advanced a plan that strengthens American energy leadership and offers help to Americans as they cope with inflation.
As Election Day draws nearer, Pennsylvanians should remember that their state represents a crossroads in America’s energy policy. One path sacrifices energy abundance for policies that could raise prices and weaken U.S. energy leadership. The other path recognizes Pennsylvania’s vast energy resources.
The systematic push by federal agencies against U.S. natural gas and oil development risks our economy, threatens millions of jobs, reduces supplies to critical allies amid global conflict and could cause massive energy inflation. Instead, Washington should follow Pennsylvania’s example. The state’s natural gas and oil companies support more than 423,000 jobs, provide $40 billion in wages and contribute $75 billion in economic impact. Pennsylvania energy resources should be seen as a strategic asset, not a political football.
America is in a serious race for the future. Done right, it’s a future that would involve Pennsylvania companies meeting growing energy demand and keeping the lights on for decades to come. Leveraging Pennsylvania’s natural gas and oil is the best way to strengthen America’s energy advantage.
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