Forge The Future, an initiative of Pennsylvania businesses across the state, Thursday called for a new era of economic growth in Pennsylvania, releasing Ideas for Action, a report that highlights specific actions the Commonwealth can and should implement to capitalize on its world-class energy assets and grow its way to more revenue, population and job growth.

Among the recommendations are--

-- Cabinet-Level Energy Executive:Pennsylvania should create a cabinet-level leadership position (Energy Secretary, Executive, or “Czar”) with exclusive responsibility for driving energy-enabled economic development in the state. This would give appropriate status to the energy economy and its potential to create significant GDP, jobs, wages and population growth impact.

-- Pennsylvania Energy Investment Office:  Create a new Pennsylvania Energy Investment Office, led by a cabinet-level executive, to be the Commonwealth’s one-stop resource for helping streamline the process of doing energy business in PA – serving as an ombudsman to coordinate regulatory, permitting and other needs. The office should be staffed and funded appropriately, with the goal of leveraging economic growth, which, as this and other studies/reports have estimated, could be more than $60 billion.

-- Create Statewide Energy Investment Strategy: This new office would be charged with creating and leading a well-defined statewide energy business and investment strategy. This could include an energy-focused business attraction/investment resource kit for local and regional economic development agencies, and regular interaction to coordinate and collaborate on energy-related economic development.

-- Streamline Pipeline Permitting Process: Developing Natural gas transmission and distribution is vital to utilizing the abundant resource across the state, and delivering NGLs and LNG to export terminals, including a potential Penn America LNG facility in Chester County. Many regulatory hurdles exist, including oversight at both the state and federal level for natural gas infrastructure projects.

-- Expand Pipeline Investment Program: which currently provides grants to construct the last few miles of natural gas distribution lines to business parks and existing manufacturing and industrial enterprises, to include residential uses.

-- Natural Gas Micro-Grids: Create partnerships with organizations and institutions that operate large physical plants (government, universities, health care institutions) to build gas-fueled micro-grids for power generation

-- New Distributed Energy Technology: Develop partnerships between industries and STEM- focused colleges and universities to explore new technologies in distributed energy

-- Encourage CHP, Fuel Cells: Leverage utility ratemaking policy to facilitate adoption of natural gas as a heating and power source (such as CHP and fuel cells)

-- Convert Transit Fleets To Gas, Support Fueling Infrastructure: Seek federal and state assistance to convert all major transit fleets to gas powered buses; Support installation of natural gas fueling stations at all PA Turnpike service plazas; Develop port infrastructure for natural gas fueling on cargo ships in Philadelphia to take advantage of the eventual move from high-sulfur diesel.

--  District Energy Zones: where long-term Power Purchase Agreements would incent use of natural gas-fueled micro-grids for manufacturing facilities and support the work of the CHP working group within the Public Utility Commission to identify additional ways to help manufacturers adopt CHP solutions for their facilities.

“Among Pennsylvania’s greatest attributes are our vast energy resources, which includes some of the largest natural gas reserves in the world,” PA Chamber President and CEO Gene Barr said. “Unfortunately, the Commonwealth’s uncompetitive tax structure and a lack of infrastructure that would get the gas to market are causing us to lose out on economic opportunities. Pennsylvanians deserve better and this report puts forth an active, strategic agenda to make energy-enabled growth a reality. It should serve as a catalyst for a much-needed statewide effort to help advance a stronger economy and ensure that Pennsylvania remains a world-class energy hub for generations to come.”

“Right now, only a fraction of Pennsylvania’s natural gas reserves have been captured. The state is currently sitting on untapped opportunities that could propel its economy and turn the Commonwealth into a leader in the 21st century global economy,” said Rob Wonderling, President and CEO, Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. “Forge The Future convened 100 business, academic and economic development leaders from across the state to identify definitive strategies for optimizing the economic opportunity at hand and generating broad-based prosperity for all Pennsylvanians.”

“With Pennsylvania’s established reputation for innovation in energy, manufacturing, materials science, software and automation/robotics, it can look ahead to a diversified economy,” said David N. Taylor, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association. “Pennsylvania’s vast energy resources can help our state become an epicenter of next-generation advanced manufacturing and drive significant job growth across the Commonwealth. But the window of opportunity for Pennsylvania to realize this vision is short. We must take action now.” 

Click Here to review PA Forge The Future overview and recommendations.

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[Posted: Oct. 12, 2018]

10/15/2018