The Philadelphia Inquirer recently published a letter to the editor by Jim Snell, business manager of Steamfitters Local 420. The letter focused on the urgency of expanding Pennsylvania’s energy infrastructure. Snell argues it is necessary to address some of the barriers that “have hindered the construction of the infrastructure necessary to get natural gas to market.”
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should encourage infrastructure construction, specifically pipeline projects, as it would be a boon for export hubs like Philadelphia. Existing pipelines, like the Mariner East Pipeline, for example, connect natural gas producing regions in Western Pennsylvania to ports along the Delaware River, where it can be loaded and exported. Snell writes “because energy security hinges on the ability to connect the supply to demand, Americans and our global partners are missing out on the economic and environmental benefits associated with Pennsylvania-produced natural gas.”
His letter urges various interest groups to unite on a solution that maximizes Pennsylvania’s energy and economic potential. Snell concludes with “facilitating discussions among industry, labor, business, and political leaders is a critical step to ensuring Pennsylvania capitalizes upon its energy-rich resources. The time is now to build.”
Snell’s letter follows a Philadelphia Inquirer story which underscores the economic benefits of the Mariner East Pipeline project to the commonwealth, which produced up to $9.1 billion in economic benefits and employed thousands of skilled laborers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The article also highlights how the region provides an alternative to Russian gas in Europe, citing 90 percent of the ships loaded with gas liquids on the Delaware River comes from one location: the Marcus Hook terminal.
Jim Snell’s letter to the editor can be found here:
Philadelphia energy hub
If global energy constraints and domestic challenges related to access to affordable energy weren’t enough to show America’s need for more energy infrastructure, the barriers to providing support for our geopolitical allies send a clear signal that it’s time to build.
In Pennsylvania, a combination of wellfunded, myopic activists and unnecessary regulatory barriers have hindered the construction of the infrastructure necessary to get natural gas to market. Because energy security hinges on the ability to connect the supply to demand, Americans and our global partners are missing out on the economic and environmental benefits associated with Pennsylvania-produced natural gas.
I’m excited to see lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle support a path to making Philadelphia an energy export hub. Facilitating discussions among industry, labor, business, and political leaders is a critical step to ensuring Pennsylvania capitalizes upon its energy-rich resources. The time is now to build.