Labor Day stirs a powerful reminder of the people and industries that keep our state and nation running.

The backbone of the natural gas industry is the men and women that work each day to safely pull our most robust resource from the ground and deliver it to our schools, homes, hospitals, and businesses. In Pennsylvania, that means recognizing the natural gas industry’s engineers, roustabouts, rig hands, truck drivers, safety inspectors, contractors, suppliers, and the other 123,000 people working in this industry. These are family sustaining careers that, thanks to continued natural gas development and use, anchor communities, strengthen local economies and keep energy reliable and affordable for consumers.

The region’s boilermakers, steamfitters, electricians, welders, equipment operators, and laborers help move Pennsylvania’s natural gas through pipelines, compressor stations, power plants, and infrastructure to deliver power and resources where they’re needed most. Apprenticeship programs open doors for local men and women to learn these trades, earn strong wages and benefits, and build lasting careers that keep paychecks and opportunity rooted in our communities.

And the impact doesn’t stop there. Those family-sustaining jobs fuel a thriving energy sector with benefits rippling across the Commonwealth. Natural gas development generates billions in tax revenue for schools, police, fire departments, and local governments. It supports restaurants, manufacturers, and small businesses on main streets in every corner of the state.

Every cubic foot of gas produced here translates into lower costs for families, a cleaner environment, stronger U.S. energy security, and more jobs right in our backyard.

This Labor Day, let’s remember a simple truth: natural gas powers more than homes and businesses. It powers livelihoods, careers, and communities across Pennsylvania. And so, thank you to the men and women that power the natural gas industry. With our collective efforts we will keep moving our energy future forward.

Here’s what some of our partners in the building trades have said about the strong bond between our nation’s energy and labor industries:

  • Shawn Steffee, Business Manager, Boilermakers Local 154: “The boilermakers, and labor, is ready to build the infrastructure of tomorrow. We are ready to build the infrastructure of today, and we need reliable baseload electricity, and it is going to come from natural gas.”
  • Darrin Kelly, President, Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council: “We have the greatest workforce in the world, and our workers are more than ready to help lead our city and our country into the future.”
  • Rob Bair, President, Pennsylvania State Building Trades: “The benefits of natural gas extend beyond just job creation. When energy companies invest to build well pads, pipeline infrastructure, and power generators, they generate economic activity that ripples throughout the community, creating a more competitive business market and enhancing overall community prosperity.”
  • Jim Snell, Business Manager, Steamfitters Local 420: “Pennsylvania’s workers in no small part accelerated America’s shale revolution, helping to transform our nation’s energy outlook from weakness and scarcity to strength and abundance. That same vision, prioritizing our local workers, is ushering in a new wave of American energy development and manufacturing, where natural gas and renewables work together to decarbonize our economy while maintaining energy reliability or affordability.”
  • Mark Longo, Director, Engineers-Labor Employer Cooperative Local 825: “There is simply no way to responsibly reduce emissions and keep energy prices affordable without natural gas and the infrastructure that brings it to our homes and businesses. Expanding our existing energy infrastructure with pipelines in particular will reduce costs for consumers, increase economic benefits, and provide sorely-needed reliability and redundancy in the system.”