New energy projects put Pennsylvania on a path to energy security
The Observer-Reporter published an opinion editorial by former Pennsylvania Congressman and Chester County Commissioner Earl Baker who discussed a fruitful trip to western Pennsylvania where he joined GAIN Coalition members Craig Stevens and Brigham McCown on a road tour to explore Pennsylvania’s growing energy sector and the important role of oil and natural gas infrastructure in the region.
Baker participated in a panel discussion with both GAIN Coalition members, Stevens and McCown, as well as state Sen. Camera Bartolotta. Baker noted:
“The panel discussion highlighted how the Marcellus Shale has provided Pennsylvania with vast opportunity to grow the state’s natural gas sector – leading to economic growth, lower energy costs, new jobs, and increased tax revenue.”
The group also toured CPV Fairview, a new energy facility that when completed, will have the capacity to supply energy for up to 1 million households in the area. CPV Fairview has already employed hundreds in the construction stages of the project and when it comes online in 2020, the facility will offer high-paying jobs and millions in payroll benefits. Baker went on to note that the complex will be powered by energy resources produced in Pennsylvania, writing:
“This facility uses regionally sourced natural gas and ethane to produce electricity, with the capacity to supply energy for 1 million households in the commonwealth. The power plant is an off-take of three pipelines, two for natural gas and the Mariner East Pipeline for ethane. Energy produced regionally cuts down transportation and delivery costs, reducing the total consumers must pay for electricity.”
Energy projects such as CPV Fairview are exactly the kinds of investments that will propel Pennsylvania, and more broadly the U.S., to the next level of innovation in the energy sector. Investing in reliable energy infrastructure will promote growth and security for decades to come. Baker concluded:
“The economic and environmental benefits of Pennsylvania’s energy projects are impossible to ignore. It’s time for our elected officials at both the state and national level to prioritize further development in our critical energy infrastructure network if we want to move forward.”