At Senator Dave McCormick’s Inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit yesterday, held at Carnegie Mellon University, the national spotlight was on the Pittsburgh region as leading energy and technology executives, labor officials and policymakers sent a clear and unified message: the future of American energy security and economic competitiveness runs through Pennsylvania.
The Commonwealth sits atop one of the world’s most prolific natural gas reserves, backed by a strong manufacturing base, skilled workforce and a commitment to technological advancement enabled by leading universities. Clean, abundant, domestic natural gas is not only powering local communities but positions the U.S. to win the global AI race.
“Winning this race is a matter of national security, and with clean and abundant Pennsylvania-produced natural gas, we can also continue to protect and enhance our environment while creating good-paying tech, building trades and energy jobs,” said Marcellus Shale Coalition president Jim Welty.
The summit was focused on urgent action, solutions and progress. In fact, nearly $100 billion in investments to win this must-win race were announced, representing a historic day of the Commonwealth.
As top business, labor and finance leaders as well as public officials – including President Trump and members of his cabinet – expressed throughout the summit, there’s no better place to build than in Pennsylvania.
“From our abundant energy sector to our incredible universities and skilled workforce, our Commonwealth is poised to lead the next era of growth and opportunity,” said U.S. Senator Dave McCormick.
Senator McCormick is absolutely right. And our labor partners agree, as reported by the Washington Examiner today:
Darrin Kelly, president of the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council, said the largest private investment in the state’s history is a tremendous opportunity for workers and the communities they live in.
“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,” Kelly said, thanking McCormick for his leadership in bringing people together.
Pittsburgh knows what it means to power progress. And leaders across sectors are aligned on the need to modernize infrastructure to keep up with growing AI-related power demand.
“Commonsense permitting reforms that enable infrastructure development are necessary and will help ensure our industry can continue to safely deliver reliable, affordable and clean energy to power our AI future,” Welty continued. “We’re grateful to Senator McCormick and President Trump for their strong and continued leadership.”
What emerged in Pittsburgh wasn’t just a policy agenda but a vision for building the economy from the ground up. That means jobs in tech and trades alike. It means keeping energy affordable and reliable for families and industries. And it means reminding the country that energy leadership goes hand in hand with national strategy.
And Pennsylvania is ready to lead through this “true golden age for America,” as President Trump said yesterday.
