According to a survey conducted by the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Manufacturers, 87 percent of Pennsylvanians believe government and private industry investment in energy infrastructure will have a positive impact on the state’s economy.
The survey sampled 500 Pennsylvania registered voters in late November, including 92 percent of Republicans and 80 percent of Democrats and 85 percent of people that identified themselves as environmentalists.
According to David Taylor, president of the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association, “There is overwhelming support for broad-based infrastructure development. This is an area that has broad-based support among Republicans and Democrats, city folks, suburban folks, rural folks.”
According to the survey results, “when it comes to expected outcomes from increasing our investment in infrastructure, 61% say it will create good-paying jobs and 64% believe that investing in energy infrastructure will help build a stronger economy.”
The results were remarkable consistent across the aisle, as more than three-quarters (78%) of Clinton voters and 93% of Trump voters support increasing our investment in energy infrastructure. Environmentalists agreed, almost 90% of self-identified environmentalists believe it will have a positive impact.
The results are in and everyone agrees: Pennsylvania needs energy infrastructure. Following a year of contentious politics, we should focus both on what brings us together as well as propels our nation forward. Projects like Mariner East 2 will be crucial to this endeavor.