State Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23), Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, today voiced his objection to the Delaware River Basin Commission’s (DRBC) vote to permanently ban natural gas drilling in the Basin, again calling it an arbitrary, short-sighted action and a blow to economic development, job-creation and landowner’s rights.
“The DRBC ban is not just an assault on a highly regulated industry that employs thousands of Pennsylvanians, but it’s another example of neighboring state’s dictating our energy policy,” Senator Gene Yaw said. “The Commission is using New York’s failed policies to institute a ban on development. Pennsylvania has robust rules and regulations in place to protect our environmental resources, which have allowed for the safe development of natural gas in our state. This action serves to undermine economic development and job growth in the region and statewide.”
In October 2020, former President Trump directed the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to assess the economic impacts of prohibiting, or sharply restricting, the use of hydraulic fracturing and other technologies in oil and gas exploration. He also directed a review of lost jobs, increases in energy prices, decreases in property values, and decreases in tax revenues, to name a few, as the result of any ban on fracking.
On January 14th, 2021, DOE delivered that report to the President. The report reinforces the obvious – banning hydraulic fracturing, a technique used for over 50 years across the world, would reverse oil and natural gas growth and return the United States to a net-importer of oil and gas by 2025. It would weaken our position on a global scale and negatively impact our national security.
Specifically, the report notes that the U.S. shale revolution has been the single most significant contributor to our energy security. As a result, our country is less impacted by oil disruptions in the market, and consumers and industry enjoy the reliability and affordability of an abundant natural resource.
For more state-related news and information visit Senator Yaw’s website at www.SenatorGeneYaw.com or on Facebook and Twitter @SenatorGeneYaw.