If we don’t have the capacity to transport our natural resources, increases in production are far less impactful than they can, or should, be. This is particularly relevant in today’s energy economy, as our production of natural gas continues to rise month after month while we risk succumbing to complacency as far as our pipeline infrastructure is concerned. As Charles Hughes writes for U.S. News & World Report, “increased domestic energy production and the development of sites such as the Marcellus Shale require a corresponding increase in the capacity of our energy transportation infrastructure.”
Hughes notes that “domestic energy production is much higher than it was a decade ago,” with notable upticks from the Marcellus and Utica shales. Pennsylvania has already benefited tremendously from natural gas, but “more infrastructure is necessary to accommodate” all of the natural gas produced. Thankfully, greater transportation capacity is on the way.
FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, recently approved two pipeline proposals – the Mountain Valley Project and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Project. These two projects will “deliver billions of dollars in private investment, increase the capacity of the energy transportation infrastructure and lower costs to consumers,” bringing economic boons to local communities throughout the Marcellus shale region.
Projects like these will help Pennsylvania fully realize the potential right beneath their feet. Greater pipeline capacity is necessary to improve lives across the keystone state, whether it be one of the thousands of jobs created, money saved on heating bills, or the additional tax revenue that comes back to our schools and hospitals.