Thanks to Marcellus Shale, Pennsylvania’s energy industry has erupted over the past few years placing the Commonwealth on the map as a leading producer of natural gas. As we move into a new year, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission member Pamela Witmer discusses Pennsylvania’s promising energy future in a recent article published by the Tribune Live.
In the piece, Witmer discusses the many benefits of Pennsylvania’s drive towards becoming an energy hub, including lower energy prices. Most significantly, Witmer stresses the growth of our state’s economy. She points out that “not only have we seen jobs in the industry, but Pennsylvania also made the switch from being a natural gas importer to a natural gas exporter.” With an abundance of energy sitting in Pennsylvania, new developments have enabled our state to supply more than enough to communities and businesses here at home – and leave enough to sell to our allies abroad.
However, in order for Pennsylvania to continue to succeed in the energy sector, our communities need to create and support more pipeline infrastructure to safely transport this product. Witmer argues that due to the vast amount of gas and gas-products in Pennsylvania, infrastructure, like the Mariner East pipeline, is strongly needed to maintain our growing economy and future energy endeavors.
As Witmer calls it, natural gas is a “game-changer for Pennsylvania,” but unless implementation of new infrastructure is met, Pennsylvania’s energy future may not look as bright as it did in 2015.