HARRISBURG, Pa. – Members of the Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance (PEIA), a broad-based coalition of labor, agriculture, manufacturing and other business interests that support private investment in energy infrastructure, today issued the following statements in response to the final report unveiled by the Governor’s Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force:
“The task force should be commended for the work it’s doing to ensure our commonwealth realizes its full energy potential,” said Trish McFarland, President of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce. “We recognize this is the first step in a long process. But even as this process continues, it shouldn’t slow or diminish the safe, responsible development of critical pipeline infrastructure already in the works. New pipeline projects are delivering both short-term employment benefits from construction, as well as long-term economic benefits from increased access to abundant, more affordable energy resources.”
McFarland pointed to the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex, which is fueling a regional revitalization in southeastern Pennsylvania as a spot for collecting and processing natural gas and natural gas liquids delivered via pipeline from shale drilling operations across the state.
“I want to commend DEP Secretary John Quigley for acknowledging in his opening remarks that there is broad support for these projects because of the tremendous economic and job-creation benefits they generate,” Abe Amoros, state legislative director at LiUNA!, which has more than 25,000 members in the state. “I’ll say again what I said before in public testimony before this task force: For thousands of workers across our commonwealth, these projects are not just pipelines; they are also lifelines to family-supporting jobs.”
Several PEIA members testified personally during the task force’s public hearings, or submitted comments as the panel drafted its final report, which culled 184 suggestions into a dozen recommendations released today.
The task force report is not a regulatory document. The recommendations would be reviewed by respective state agencies, as well as the legislature, before any changes could be implemented. PEIA members are reviewing the final report, which totals more than 600 pages.
The Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance was launched June 8 by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, along with the Laborers International Union of North America and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 66. There are nearly two dozen members today. Visit www.paallianceforenergy.com for more information.
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