Sep 29, 2018 3 min read

PITTSBURGH – Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, surfaced in the former Steel City to talk energy. He cleared the air on his objectives.

“I’m bullish on our energy position in America,” Zinke said Friday morning at the Energy and Innovation Center, a long slapshot from PPG Paints Arena.

“I’m bullish on never being held hostage on energy by another country. Not so many years ago, we never thought we’d be in this position, a top producer of natural gas.”

Thirty-nine days before the midterm election, a member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet was a keynote speaker at the Pennsylvania Energy and Manufacturing Forum in an energy-rich region. Zinke touted an “all-of-the-above” energy portfolio – renewables, natural gas and coal.

“Energy matters economically,” he said. “To be competitive, we have to be motivated to have reliable, affordable and abundant energy. Energy, itself, is an economic driver.”

Zinke lamented that there are not more “offshore wind opportunities” in the nation; that “Alaska has an enormous amount of gas, but no pipeline to transport it;” and that a shortage of pipelines are “a little issue.”

He is a proponent of natural gas, saying it is “the cleanest of the fossil fuels, but it can be cleaner with technology. There’s no way we can’t make it cleaner.”

The secretary wasn’t the only natural gas supporter among the dozen officials who spoke during the 21/2-hour event. The forum was fast-paced and informative, and also focused on manufacturing and workforce opportunities.

“Energy independence” was a term often expressed. Dave Spigelmyer, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, compared and contrasted the energy landscape from a decade ago and today.

“Back in 2008, we were 61 percent dependent on (other nations) for natural gas,” said Spigelmyer, whose coalition represents about 200 natural gas-related companies. “The figure is 19 percent today. And Pennsylvania is providing 20 percent of America’s natural gas supply.”

Alan Armstrong, chief executive officer of Williams, was the other keynote speaker. He, too, discussed energy independence.

“When there was talk about that 20 years ago, people thought we were crazy. But that’s where we are now,” he said.

Williams is one of the top energy infrastructure companies in the nation, and has a large Pennsylvania presence. The firm had about 30 employees in the Keystone State a decade ago. It now has about 700.

“We have $14 billion invested in the Marcellus and Utica shales,” Armstrong said. “We love to do business here.”

Several who stepped to the podium discussed workforce shortages. The natural gas revival, construction of Shell’s ethylene cracker plant in Beaver County and growth in manufacturing have prompted calls for trained, well-educated workers. College may be enticing for many young people, they said, but labor jobs in this region could prove to be secure and lucrative.

“My apprentices are all employed,” said Jim Kunz, business manager of Operating Engineers Local 66. “A first-year apprentice can make $45,000 to $50,000, plus all benefits. A fourth-year apprentice can make six figures in lifelong, well-paying careers.”

Darrin Kelly, president of the Allegheny Labor Council, objects to negative perceptions about labor.

“We have to educate the public that this is not something to look down upon,” he said. “This is something to embrace. We need to hire more people. How many cities in this country can say that.”