The April 10 letter “We Must Stop Subsidizing Fossil Fuels,” declaring H.B. 1100 — which passed our Legislature with bipartisan support — an energy industry handout, ignores some essential lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic that can also guide us out of the current economic crisis.
We would be irresponsible to intentionally dull our competitive edge — an abundant natural gas supply — and one of the biggest drivers of Pennsylvania’s economy in terms of revenues, investment and jobs that provide for our families, farmers and small businesses.
H.B. 1100 capitalizes on the fact that affordable, reliable energy is important to every industry, period. This bill will lead to great-paying jobs in the building trades, which are feeling the economic pinch now with some locals approaching unemployment levels of 85%. Just look at the Beaver County ethane cracker plant, which is creating 7,000 construction jobs and driving the county’s state-leading 6 percent economic growth.
As we restart our economy, we need every advantage, and one thing the crisis has laid bare is our supply-chain vulnerabilities, especially the medical supply chains to which petrochemical byproducts are essential. We can never put ourselves in a position where adversary nations can hold hostage the products we need.
Our American revival must bolster home-grown energy production and improve supply chains and energy infrastructure, and Pennsylvania is in a position to do its part to ensure we never get caught short again. H.B. 1100 will helped us make that happen sooner rather than later.
MICHAEL BUTLER
Mid-Atlantic Director
Consumer Energy Alliance
Downtown
First Published: April 24, 2020, 4:00 a.m.
