Pittsburgh, Pa. – October 2, 2026 – Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) president Jim Welty today issued the following statement regarding the proposed federal American Affordability and Jobs Act:
“American natural gas is essential to our nation’s energy security, economic growth, and ability to meet rising demand. Yet outdated, overlapping federal permitting requirements continue to delay critical infrastructure projects without providing commensurate environmental benefits, constraining our ability to safely deliver abundant, affordable, and reliable American energy to consumers.
“We welcome the bipartisan introduction of the American Affordability and Jobs Act and urge Congress to act quickly on these important permitting reforms. Modernizing the Clean Water Act, particularly Section 410, and the National Environmental Policy Act, while establishing reasonable guardrails for judicial review, would reduce unnecessary delays and duplicative reviews and provide greater certainty for the development of critical energy infrastructure.
“As the nation’s second-largest natural gas-producing state, Pennsylvania is well positioned to help meet growing demand for natural gas at home and around the world. Congress should act with urgency to modernize our permitting framework and ensure the infrastructure needed to move American energy to the markets that need it can be built.”
