As our nation works to balance modern energy demands with climate, environmental, and economic goals, Pennsylvania natural gas is – and will continue to be – key to achieving long term solutions, Marcellus Shale Coalition president Dave Callahan said recently in interviews with multiple media outlets.
On local radio and television shows, a sit-down with the Bradford Era, and in two columns featured in the state’s two largest publications, Callahan touched on these broad topics as well as the role Pennsylvania natural gas and the region’s shale abundance contributes to American energy security, our pandemic response, and helping to fuel a “made in America” manufacturing renaissance.
As he told KDKA Radio, “we have an economic story to tell, but we also have an environmental story to tell.”
Here are some key takeaways from Dave’s recent media interviews:
Natural Gas Powering our Clean Energy Future
KDKA-Radio: “We have many, many economic benefits associated with shale gas development. It’s affordable, it’s abundant, but let’s not forget – it’s clean. We can’t forget all the environmental benefits that are coming from shale gas development. For example, you look at the power sector in Pennsylvania where carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced by nearly 40% since 2005. Other big pollutants including sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide have been reduced by 93% and 81% as well.
The Philadelphia Inquirer: “As the U.S. became the world’s top natural gas producer over the past decade, total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions through 2019 have seen double-digit declines, according to new federal data. As natural gas accounts for a larger electricity generation share, Pennsylvania power generation-tied emissions have also plummeted to decades-low levels resulting in community-level public health benefits.”
Bradford Era: “I think the industry has done a great job of advancing its environmental profile. We see the industry is now recycling 93% or more of wastewater. We see that the industry’s methane-intensity, meaning the amount of methane reduced per unit of methane produced, has dropped 82% since 2011. We’re making fantastic strides.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “This clean air success is largely market-driven, where natural gas and renewables work in partnership to produce more electricity and even fewer emissions. A pragmatic, commonsense and market approach will be key to unlocking ways to make natural gas use cleaner and bring about the most effective solutions to our biggest challenges.”
Expanding American Manufacturing Jobs, Fueling Pandemic Recovery
Our Region’s Business (WPXI): “You have to start every conversation with the progress that’s been made with the Shell Petrochemical Facility. We’re eagerly awaiting the facility to start up and all the many benefits it will accrue to the region once it is up and running. We can attract further plastics manufacturing downstream, and that facility has brought with it significant employment opportunities for the construction trades – 6,000 or more jobs and hundreds of permanent ones once it’s up in running.”
“The industry is playing a significant role in addressing the pandemic and providing the natural gas and natural gas liquids that are a feedstock for many of the personal protective equipment that we need to deal with this such as nitrile gloves, face shields, syringes and much, much more.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer: “This is the way for the U.S. to “build back better,” as President Biden says: create opportunities for good-paying union jobs, give U.S. manufacturers a competitive advantage to re-shore jobs, continue to lead the world in carbon emission reductions, and help nations from Europe to Asia achieve cleaner skies and the related health benefits.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “Natural gas has been essential in fighting this pandemic, as it’s the building block in manufacturing plastic medical supplies — think masks, gowns, ventilators, vaccine syringes — and is critical to ensuring hospitals have around-the-clock, reliable heat and power.”
Increasing Energy Security, Reducing Global Energy Poverty
The Philadelphia Inquirer: “It’s through a diverse, cleaner energy mix of natural gas and renewables that the U.S. leads on climate. And American natural gas exports can help spread this progress globally. Should plans for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility move forward in Gibbstown, the U.S. will open new markets in Europe, Africa, and Asia for Pennsylvania-provided energy. Globally, the federal government projects the U.S.’s LNG exports to double by 2050, with China and India driving growth to meet their economic and climate targets.”
“This path of pragmatic energy and environment policy isn’t just about climate — it’s about national security and economics too. Expanding access to American-produced energy is a crucial diplomatic tool that improves our security and America’s standing in the world.”
KDKA-Radio: “LNG and LNG exports can help serve countries all around the world and help alleviate what’s known as energy poverty. LNG can help clean the air in the world and provide for economic development as well.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “American natural gas exports can provide immediate and long-term global climate solutions. Our allies around the world, especially in developing regions, need affordable and cleaner energy. We have the opportunity to take a leadership role in meeting that demand, rather than ceding ground and political leverage to competing energy-producing nations that don’t produce energy in a way that’s anywhere close to how safely we do it here.”
State, Federal Policies Matter
WILK NewsRadio: “It’s rather disappointing and unnecessary to slap a new severance tax on top of what we already pay, which is our severance tax – our impact fee. The impact fee works well…When you combine the two taxes (the impact fee and severance tax), it could be upwards of an 11% tax rate – the highest tax rate in the country, more than double that in West Virginia and other states. It would be crippling, absolutely crippling.”
“We’ve had a tremendous economic impact and slapping another tax on top of these existing taxes is just nearly punitive.”
“The Biden executive order blitz certainly got our attention and it’s a grave concern. We heard bipartisan voices express displeasure with the actions he’s taken. I heard you mention Keystone – that put 10,000-11,000 workers out of a job. While some say, “those are temporary” – those are good construction trade union jobs.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Rather than picking winners and losers among energy sources, stacking on higher energy taxes for consumers via Governor Wolf’s latest severance tax plan, or suggest that our hardworking union workforce should not be permitted to safely build critical infrastructure, let’s come together and focus on the solutions that will make positive change happen.”
Our Region’s Business (WPXI): “The Biden executive order blitz has been highly disappointing and somewhat misguided. We need infrastructure. We need to get product to market – whether it’s the Great Plains, or in Pennsylvania or elsewhere. These pipelines – whether it’s oil or gas – are the same as any other infrastructure like highways, bridges. We need infrastructure projects like the regional Mountain Valley Pipeline going through West Virginia and Virginia, or even PennEast out in eastern Pa., as well as innovative ways to get product to market. It sends chills through the industry to know that the Administration with a strike of a pen can kill a project like this.”
“We need a commonsense approach, like Sen. Manchin has said. Something that doesn’t really pick winners or exclude sources of energy, but an energy policy that invests in technology and lets the private marketplace decide how we’re going to achieve a clean energy future.”
