Former Louisiana Congressman Charles Melancon sat down with Carl Marrara on Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association Perspective to discuss energy leadership and manufacturing opportunities in the United States and Pennsylvania. The show focuses on business, government, and politics in Pennsylvania.
Melancon says in his home state of Louisiana the ability to get natural gas out of the ground more readily and in a less expensive way is making a tremendous difference in the state and for the country as a whole. Taking the U.S. from being dependent on importing oil and gas from other countries to where it’s now becoming an export.
Melancon spoke about the need to develop Pennsylvania’s energy infrastructure in order to tap into the resources in the Marcellus and Utica Shale areas. Pipeline construction brings in thousands of jobs spanning multiple years.
He stressed that if you have the infrastructure to get the products then companies like chemical plants and manufacturers who need these products to operate, will come to the area, which will also bring in good paying jobs for more Pennsylvania residents.
As Melancon says, “You develop something that is very valuable that can be used by the people of Pennsylvania for economic development. You can’t attract a chemical plant that needs natural gas if you can’t get the natural gas to them.”
Not just the gas hubs will see the benefits of increased energy infrastructure. Melancon said that long term pipelines will continue to expand out of Pennsylvania and the state will no longer be dependent on foreign entities or even transporting from other parts of the U.S.
Melancon had this to say to lawmakers in Pennsylvania, “Don’t be afraid of it. It’s a good thing. It’s a quality of life issue.”