Authored by Dave Callahan & Charlie Burd , Rob Brundrett by way of RealClear Wire,

Getting our financial system again on monitor, defending the environment and producing a renewed “Made-in-America” spirit are areas of widespread floor amongst People – irrespective of political affiliation or dwelling state. And key to attaining these shared objectives is home, reasonably priced and clear power.

Because the nation’s most sustainable and plentiful supply of pure fuel, President Biden ought to look to the Appalachian Basin for power options as he provides his State of the Union Handle.

Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia sit atop the Marcellus and Utica shale performs, two of essentially the most prolific pure fuel bearing rock formations on the planet. Producers right here provide roughly one-third of all U.S. pure fuel manufacturing whereas taking part in a key function in our nation and international emission reductions. 

As Appalachia’s manufacturing elevated 13% between 2018-2020, unbiased third get together benchmarking knowledge reveals greenhouse fuel emissions depth from the trade declined 20%.

Whereas this area leads in power manufacturing, environmental progress and sustaining careers near dwelling, sure insurance policies and a difficult federal regulatory setting has hindered our skill to proceed to develop.

Infrastructure growth – together with  pipelines and export terminals – are crucial to securely transport Appalachian-produced power throughout our nation and the world. However the present regulatory setting, along with each bodily and authorized blockades, chokes our area’s skill to compete and contribute to power safety each right here and overseas.

As power analysis analysts not too long ago warned, pipeline points within the Marcellus “threaten to vary whole US fuel market sport” as a result of we’re inadvertently chopping ourselves off from a useful resource that may be harvested at a low price. New England states, as soon as once more, are compelled to import pure fuel from overseas nations, as a result of politics have blocked crucial infrastructure progress. 

And, transferring pure fuel to the rising southeast the place it’ll be used for clear, dependable energy technology, manufacturing and heating properties, continues to be blocked because the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which is 95% constructed, contends with authorized delays and regulatory limbo.

These infrastructure capability challenges, whereas seemingly native, have important implications worldwide. If the previous yr has confirmed something, it’s that entry to power is prime to human life and maintaining folks secure. Exports of American pure fuel have relieved Europe from Russia’s power chokehold – let’s broaden these alternatives by opening up further entry factors alongside the East Coast.

Along with predictable allow timeframes and offering a transparent path for  a lot wanted infrastructure, insurance policies that incentivize manufacturing and different industrial tasks to put money into Appalachia ought to be a prime precedence.

Our plentiful provide of  low price, versatile, clear pure fuel provides America the aggressive edge over different areas to reshore American manufacturing. Actually, business builders estimate manufacturing funding has topped $100 billion within the area due to easy accessibility to reasonably priced Appalachian pure fuel.

These investments – like Shell’s petrochemical facility in Pennsylvania, Nucor Metal’s latest undertaking in West Virginia, and developments alongside southeast Ohio’s power terminal – are examples of what occurs when companies and lawmakers get it proper and prioritize discovering options to make lasting, optimistic impacts on our communities and for the setting.

However the pro-growth sentiment begins on the prime. We’d like President Biden and lawmakers in Congress to place politics apart and get to work supporting the continued growth and use of this dependable, reasonably priced, Appalachian-made gasoline.

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Dave Callahan is President of the Pennsylvania-based Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC). 

Charlie Burd is Govt Director of the Fuel and Oil Affiliation of West Virginia (GO-WV).

Rob Brundrett is President of the Ohio Oil and Fuel Affiliation (OOGA).