Recent coverage of Pennsylvania’s Mariner East 2 project has become hotly politicized thanks to legislators leaning on hyperbole, fearmongering, and a doubling-down on their commitment not to acknowledge infrastructure realities.
A guest column in the Delco Times by former Texas Railroad Commission employee and current owner and President of Geo Logic Environmental Services, Bill Godsey, drilled down on the importance of energy infrastructure for Pennsylvania and the Commonwealth’s future.
Pennsylvania – and the necessary pipeline infrastructure– has contributed greatly to the glut of natural gas available for consumers, notably “Pennsylvania’s natural gas production has increased more than 30-fold, accounting for more than half of the country’s new supply. The state now meets 20 percent of U.S. demand for gas, which has helped wean dependence off foreign energy.”
Pennsylvanians should be proud of the role the state is playing in advancing goals of energy independence. Predictably, pipeline opponents ignore this fact and another; since 2012 natural gas related operations have generated almost $1.5 billion in new tax revenues for the state. Natural gas is giving greatly to the country at large and rewarding Pennsylvania municipalities with tax revenues, Godsey reminds.
Another fact often ignored is natural gas’ role in reducing emissions, specifically “Pennsylvania’s electrical producers have reduced CO2 emissions by 30 percent. Since 1990 methane emissions from natural gas have fallen 16 percent even as production grew by more than 50 percent. Nationwide, carbon emissions are now at the lowest level in a generation.”
In closing, Godsey offers a perfect call to action that all Pennsylvanians – proponents and opponents alike- that “The state’s growth depends on a robust infrastructure grid that can keep pace with production. Meeting that demand will require healthy, constructive debate grounded in evidence, not hyperbole and delay tactics. Voters should demand their representatives put aside the noise and focus squarely on the facts.”