In year two of the pandemic, as the recovery began to take hold and moved faster than the world was ready for, energy companies saw fuel prices increase for the first time in years. To keep the momentum going, natural gas proponents were pitching LNG as a climate solution, while renewable energy companies tried to seize momentum in federal infrastructure talks. Then Russia invaded Ukraine and the energy world turned upside down.
Membership: The energy workforce in the Pittsburgh region is 2.9% of the total workforce and responsible for 8.7% of the gross regional product.
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“LNG exports are the biggest greenhouse gas initiative on the planet. There should be more gas exported, not less.”
— Toby Rice, CEO of Downtown-based natural gas company EQT Corp.
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“We have to eliminate energy that we don't need to be using. Pitt will not get to carbon neutrality without that approach. No other university company or government will.”
— Aurora Sharrard, executive director of sustainability at the University of Pittsburgh
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“There’s no perfect place to put energy projects. I never met anyone who really wants an energy project in their backyard.”
— Dan Brockett, a Penn State Extension educator
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“It is still uncommon to see people of color, women, LGBTQ, you name it — it's still uncommon to see (those) folks ascend to the top of a company like Duquesne Light. I think it's important to recognize the progress we're making and to build upon that.”
— Kevin Walker, CEO of Downtown-based Duquesne Light
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“I’ve probably had five or six moments in my career where I really felt like I made a huge difference. I feel like this will definitely be another one of those situations where we leave Pennsylvania better than we found it.”
— Kurt Klapkowski, a bureau director in the state Department of Environmental Protection’s oil and gas office, on the expected federal funding to plug abandoned oil and gas wells
First Published: June 12, 2022, 9:00 a.m.