Pennsylvania Rep. Stan Saylor (R-York) announced Wednesday that his resolution urging New York and New Jersey to end their states’ policies banning new natural gas pipelines passed in the state House by a vote of 134-64.
Saylor’s office said that policies in those states banning new natural gas pipelines have prevented Pennsylvania natural gas from accessing marketing in New England and, as a result, forced the region to rely on Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) imports from foreign nations, including Russia.
“Anti-energy policies from President Joe Biden down to blue-state governors resulted in increased costs to consumers, but they also mean that we as a country are helping to finance Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war on Ukraine through oil and natural gas imports,” said Saylor. “It’s unconscionable and outright shameful.
Saylor’s office said recent news articles have indicated that customers in New England are paying four times the rate for natural gas that customers in Mid-Atlantic states are paying.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the price for natural gas at the Algonquin Citygate, a trading hub in New England, found that natural gas averaged $20.55 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) during January 2022 – the highest monthly average price since February 2014 – and exceeded $28.MMBtu several days as part of a pattern of price spikes over the winter.
“Pennsylvania is the second-largest natural gas producing state in the nation and stands ready to meet the demands of consumers in New England and elsewhere,” Saylor said. “That customers in New England end up paying more to import LNG from other countries is a shame and totally avoidable.”
Copies of the resolution will be sent to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Philip Murphy.