Casey, Toomey talk energy policy
PITTSBURGH – Pennsylvania’s Democratic and Republic U.S. senators were asked Tuesday to look beyond the upcoming presidential election and consider how various energy issues could be dealt with in Washington in 2017.
The questions, which centered on tax reform, pipelines and regulatory issues, were posed by Michael Whatley, executive vice president of Consumer Energy Alliance, during separate interviews with Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.
CEA is a national organization that brings together consumers, producers and manufacturers to engage in a dialogue about America’s energy future. While based in Houston, it supports an “all-of-the-above” menu for energy choices, including fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear energy.
During an hour-long session at Omni William Penn in Pittsburgh, both senators expressed hope there could be bipartisan consensus on a number of issues related to energy once the dust settles from November’s election.
Prior to questioning from Whatley, Casey commented on the economic transformation Western Pennsylvania underwent during the past four decades, noting the energy revolution is a major part of it.
He said wages must be part of any transformative strategy, noting by one estimate, wages were almost flat for 40 years.
“Your focus on workforce training, your focus on education and investment in those priorities” is critical, he added.
“If we want to have a workforce of the future, we’re going to have to have a lot more children reading before they get to the first grade.”
Moving on to more immediate concerns regarding energy production and distribution, Casey briefly addressed pipelines.
“I think it’s an area of policy where we can have a lot of cooperation if we’re working toward a balanced approach” that considers environmental concerns, while continuing to provide incentives for energy production, particularly in developing downstream industries.
Moving on to the tax code, Casey said, “I think there’s emphasis, there’s focus on both sides of the aisle to get something done,” while acknowledging that many are skeptical a revised code can be achieved.
He said Congress did manage to make some headway on tax reform at the end of 2015, giving permanency to the research and development tax credit; adding a couple of more years on bonus depreciation; as well as extending tax breaks for solar and wind.
“We need a lot more bipartisan solutions to these big, overarching challenges that we have,” he said.
When asked by Whatley about the best way to effectively and fairly regulate natural gas development, Casey acknowledged the benefits of natural gas in Pennsylvania are enormous, especially in growing the state’s economy.
Where pipelines are concerned, he praised Gov. Tom Wolf’s creation of a pipeline infrastructure task force.
Casey said the process set forth by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding pipelines, and its requirement for public discussion about them “is a process we have to respect … but I don’t think I need to construct a new federal rule or program” for it.
The focus on pipelines is critical, Whatley said, noting it became a contentious issue between environmentalists and the industry, which wants to expand distribution of gas through additional pipelines to reach new markets.
During Tuesday’s program, CEA also introduced George Stark, director of external affairs for Cabot Oil & Gas, who noted much of the gas being extracted in the north central part of Pennsylvania is finding new markets through pipeline expansion, reaching hospitals, schools and manufacturers that have been able to lower their energy costs significantly because of access to natural gas.
Toomey, an incumbent who is being challenged in the Nov. 8 election by Democrat Katie McGinty, said the industry needs to be regulated efficiently so that it can continue to expand as a positive economic force.
“It’s my view that the discovery of natural gas and the ability to develop it is the biggest thing to happen in 100 years. This is tremendous for Pennsylvania’s economy and it’s tremendous for the United States.”
Toomey criticized McGinty, as well as Democratic presidential candidate Hilary Clinton, for wanting “to bring the EPA in to regulate this industry that’s already regulated by the state Department of Environmental Resources.
“The DEP has the capability, the resources, the know-how to regulate this,” he said.
In response to Whatley’s question about how pipelines should be best regulated, Toomey said an efficiency is critical.
“We need a sensible, well-defined process. There should be reasonable timelines … because it takes longer to get approvals for a pipeline than it takes to build it.”
On congressional proposals to increase taxes on energy, Toomey responded, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to single out an industry and say, ‘Let’s punish them.'”
Like Casey, Toomey said he’s hopeful for a constructive energy policy that reaches across party lines.
“What I hope for is that we can have some bipartisan progress on the energy front,” Toomey said, noting he has colleagues from both sides of the aisle who come from energy states.