Legislation to study making the Port of Philadelphia an export terminal for liquified gas was signed into law, state Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia) said Thursday.
The legislation, Act 133 or 2022, would create a task force to study the feasibility of making the port an export terminal for LNG as well as require the task force to report to the legislature about challenges and recommendations about doing that.
“Pennsylvania could and should be a leader in the production and export of clean energy sources, like liquified national gas. We have an abundance under the ground that can provide the United States with energy freedom, and we have a port right here in Philadelphia that can be used to export it,” said White, who authored the legislation. “We are less than 50 miles of infrastructure away from Pennsylvania, changing the world for the better. An LNG export facility here will help reduce carbon emissions globally, further U.S. energy independence, promote peace for our European allies who would no longer rely on tyrannical governments for their energy supply, create good-paying jobs and make energy cheaper for families and job creators across Pennsylvania.”
The task force will be made up of those in the natural gas industry, as well as those in Philadelphia building trades, the PhilaPort, and representatives of the General Assembly.
The bill passed in the House in April. White said the legislation would help make Philadelphia a leader in exporting LNG to the international market.
“Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine makes it clear that the world has become too reliant on Russia for its energy needs,” White said earlier this year. “Europe, in particular, is heavily dependent upon Russia for its oil and gas. In 2021, two-fifths of the gas Europeans used came from Russia, which makes it more difficult for those countries to impose sanctions on Russia as punishment for President Vladimir Putin’s murderous behavior and to dissuade him from further hostility. But Pennsylvania can make a tremendous difference.