Trending
As the United States continues to grapple with rising gas prices and increasing energy demand, it is clear that states like Pennsylvania are going to be at the center of the energy debate in the upcoming 2022 election cycle.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that global energy demand is set to grow by 4.6% in 2021, offsetting the 4% reduction in consumption in 2020 and pushing demand above 2019 levels.
This is reinforced by findings from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which determined that global energy demand is expected to grow 47% by 2050, with oil still the top energy source.
The Commonwealth is the nation's third-largest net supplier of total energy to other states, and we stand to make the most of this increase in energy consumption.
We have long seen our communities benefit from our robust energy industry in the form of the "impact fee," or the tax collected from natural gas operations.
The impact fee has contributed more than $2 billion to our state's economy since 2012, the year it was first instated.
It has helped repair our roads, improve public safety operations, and support growth and development in communities across the state.
As Bradford County Commissioner, I have worked with the energy industry and local governments over the years to ensure that energy jobs and investments are not harmed by unnecessary regulations.
Aside from creating jobs, domestic energy drilling in Bradford County has created hundreds of millions of dollars in wealth that has helped farmers improve their farms, expanded Main Street businesses, and supported residents in every corner of the county.
But the funds that Bradford and other counties receive from the impact fee, as well as our state's energy industry itself, are under threat. Despite the forecasts of exponential growth in energy demand, fracking was recently banned in the Delaware River Basin--which includes parts of the Marcellus Shale Formation.
If these sorts of fracking bans continue, they would severely curtail oil and gas operations and energy production overall in Pennsylvania.
The opponents of fracking typically cite environmental concerns to make their case. For example, in response to the Delaware River Basin fracking ban, the Sierra Club called it a "historic watershed moment and one that will significantly contribute to a clean energy future."
But they fail to note that the neighboring Susquehanna River Basin Commission, which includes New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, found no link between fracking and water quality.
While working toward a cleaner future is something that we all should strive for, actions like this fracking ban are not rooted in reality and instead cater toward the radical left at the expense of workers, businesses and communities.
It is not as if a switch can be flipped and we suddenly no longer need carbon-based fuels.
Rather, it will take time for our country's inevitable energy transition to take hold, and authorities ranging from the IEA and the U.S. Department of Energy have concluded that oil and gas will play a major role in this transition.
We cannot pump the brakes on one of our state's most vital industries--the lack of revenue and lost jobs would devastate communities like Bradford and leave Pennsylvania behind in our nation's upcoming energy transition.
I hope that all of Pennsylvania's candidates in 2022 for the U.S. Senate understand this. Stopping fracking does not help meet rising energy demand, it does not lower prices for everyone and it does not help us in our transition to a cleaner future.
Pennsylvania's senate candidates must commit to backing Pennsylvania's natural gas industry and the working families it supports if they hope to get the support of voters in the Commonwealth's northern tier.
The oil and gas sector should be viewed as a partner in our move to a lower-emissions era, rather than an obstacle.
Doug McLinko currently serves as a Bradford County Commissioner. Previlously, he ran several successful businesses and served as a two-term Wysox Township supervisor.