Legislation recently introduced in the state Senate would establish an Independent Energy Office.
The office would be modeled after Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO). The IFO analyzes policy and discloses the methodologies, and data sources and assumptions it used in published reports and estimates.
“Pennsylvania has one of the most diverse energy portfolios in the United States,” Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Bradford), who introduced the bill, said. “There is no question we can capitalize on our state’s energy richness, but first we must stop apologizing for it. I believe an Independent Energy Office can provide impartial, timely, and data driven analysis to guide our state in determining and meeting future energy needs.”
More than half of Pennsylvania households use natural gas as their primary home heating fuel.
In 2021, marketed natural gas production in Pennsylvania reached a record 7.6 trillion cubic feet, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration analysis conducted in November. Most of the production was in the Marcellus Shale.
This makes Pennsylvania the second-largest natural gas producer in the United States. It is also the second-largest net supplier of total energy. The top producer is Texas.
Pennsylvania ranked second in electricity generation from nuclear power in 2021 after Illinois.
Pennsylvania is the second-largest coal exporter to foreign markets and the third-largest coal-producing state.