Feb 28, 2023 3 min read

President Biden’s 2023 State of the Union Address focused on revitalizing America’s manufacturing sector to bring back family-sustaining jobs – especially in the building trades – to our country, and create a smoother path to economic prosperity for middle-class Americans.

“We are going to make sure the supply chain for America begins in America,” Biden stated before Congress.

Washington County, which is Pennsylvania’s second-largest natural-gas-producing county, is well-equipped to play a large role in the president’s plan by using the abundant and low-cost energy found here in our commonwealth. And one local company, CNX Resources, is leading that drive with its visionary Appalachia First plan.

The strategy was highlighted recently in the Washington County Chamber of Commerce’s latest Morning Briefing, where CNX’s Chief Excellence Officer Yemi Akinkugbe discussed the “produce it and use it here” approach of Appalachia First and how that translates to a local economy based on low-emission natural gas and its many applications.

The plan states that we as a region can utilize the energy advantages already found here to attract more businesses, particularly new manufacturers, using natural gas as both a clean fuel source to power production and a cost-effective feedstock for millions of consumer and durable goods.

In addition, the Appalachia First vision prioritizes converting traditional industrial processes to natural gas for economy-wide emission reductions in transportation, mass transit, heavy manufacturing, and other areas while also reducing costs and providing Southwestern Pennsylvanians beneficial job opportunities. In fact, CNX states that by replacing higher-emitting fuels with low-cost and low-intensity natural gas from the Appalachian region, we can meet existing demand and deliver environmental progress now, not 50 years from now.

Finally, but certainly not least, we harness the intellectual assets of our region to forge new energy, environmental, and economic solutions catalyzed by the natural gas located right here in the tri-state area. We can also use our local and affordable natural gas to replace foreign energy imports, especially from counties that do not share our values.

Washington County’s prosperity is right beneath our feet and CNX has a stated vision for that prosperity that embraces innovation and harnesses the talent, resources, and opportunities of Appalachia to transform our region and, as a result, our nation, and the world. Working with the company along with their local employees, the wider natural gas industry and through collaborative efforts with organizations like our chamber, we can use the resources, people, and energy already found here to turn “Made in America” into “Made in Appalachia.”

Jeff Kotula is president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.