Pennsylvania Senate approves resolution to support development of an ethane storage hub

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The Pennsylvania Senate voted this week to approve a bipartisan resolution urging the U.S. Congress to support the development of an ethane storage hub in the Appalachian region.

Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-46th District) introduced the resolution, S.R. 375, to enable Pennsylvania and other Appalachian region states to take advantage of the region’s natural gas supplies, which are rich in ethane.

According to Bartolotta, the ethane storage and distribution hub could result in additional investments and eventually create approximately 100,000 new direct and indirect jobs and $28 billion in economic output.

The resolution was adopted 10-2.

“Bipartisan efforts to create a storage hub are part of an ongoing regional partnership among states that would ensure huge benefits across Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia,” Kurt Knaus, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance (PEIA), said. “It would enable us to harness the full potential of our vast natural resources, develop the infrastructure needed to safely deliver energy to market, and foster economic benefits for residents and communities. PEIA supports this effort and applauds the Pennsylvania legislators who support the continued benefits that these resources could provide the commonwealth.”

Shell has already begun construction of a new ethane facility in Beaver County, and other pipelines are already underway as well.