Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives this week passed legislation empaneling a task force to study ways to position Philadelphia as a leading exporter of natural gas to markets around the globe.
The bill, sponsored by Representative Martina White (R-Philadelphia), received the support of all Republicans in attendance but only 13 of the chamber’s Democrats. Among those Democrats were several representing areas above the Keystone State’s vast Marcellus Shale natural-gas deposit but also some legislators from the state’s southeast, including State Representatives Tina Davis (D-Levittown), John Galloway (D-Fairless Hills), Ed Neilson (D-Philadelphia), and Kevin Boyle (D-Philadelphia).
White said her measure will further Pennsylvania’s role in bolstering America’s energy security, which she said has become all the more crucial in light of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. That conflict, along with general inflation, has caused fuel prices to skyrocket.
“Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine makes it clear that the world has become too reliant on Russia for its energy needs,” White said in a statement. “Europe, in particular, is heavily dependent upon Russia for its oil and gas. In 2021, two-fifths of the gas Europeans used came from Russia, which makes it more difficult for those countries to impose sanctions on Russia as punishment for President Vladimir Putin’s murderous behavior and to dissuade him from further hostility. But Pennsylvania can make a tremendous difference.”
The new panel her legislation proposes to create would comprise several Pennsylvania legislators, natural-gas industry representatives, Philadelphia building-trades union officials, and Port of Philadelphia representatives. The task force would examine the economic and security policy adjustments necessary to make the port a hub for liquefied natural gas export.
The legislation now awaits consideration by the state Senate.
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Bradley Vasoli is managing editor of The Pennsylvania Daily Star. Follow Brad on Twitter at @BVasoli. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Martina White” by Martina White.
