Marcellus Shale Coalition President David Spigelmyer recently applauded an executive order issued by President Trump aimed at promoting energy infrastructure development.
“President Trump’s executive order will help ensure the energy infrastructure that delivers clean, abundant American natural gas is there when consumers, small businesses, hospitals, and manufacturers need it,” Spigelmyer said. “We thank the President for taking action directly aimed at lifting the Cuomo’s administration’s energy blockade that has left the northeast starved for natural gas.”
The executive order directs the Environmental Protection Agency to update guidance regarding certification under section 401 of the Clean Water Act and directs the Department of Transportation to reflect liquefied natural gas development. It also addresses regulatory and permitting barriers to financing new energy infrastructure and prioritizes the safe operation of existing infrastructure on federal lands. The order would hamper the state’s ability to block pipeline projects.
“In blocking critical energy infrastructure, Gov. Cuomo has made certain that New York families will pay more for energy and have less access to affordable, clean-burning American natural gas,” Spigelmyer said. “Pennsylvania’s abundant natural gas resources can provide a boost to families and small businesses, many whom are struggling to make ends meet.”
The Marcellus Shale Coalition noted that due to a lack of energy pipeline capacity, the New England Region had been forced to import Russian natural gas to meet spikes in winter demand.
“The executive order announced today is a win for natural gas, the bridge fuel that will get our nation to a renewable energy future,” Dennis L. Martire, vice president and regional manager of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Mid-Atlantic Region said. “Too often the regulatory process at the state level is manipulated by zealots who are waging a project-by-project war against natural gas, throwing thousands of laborers out of work in the process.”
President Trump also recently issued an executive order that states that decisions to grant or deny permits for specific cross-border infrastructure projects will be made solely by the president. The Secretary of State will continue to receive permit applications and provide advice to the president on whether a project would serve United States foreign policy interests.