New York Needs a Different Energy State of Mind
Sabrina Fang
Posted January 23, 2018
In the commentary below, Fox Business host Stuart Varney makes a couple of great points on U.S. energy production and the wrongheaded energy policy of New York’s governor.
As Varney notes, the U.S. is the world’s No. 1 producer of natural gas and oil – and could produce more oil this year than Saudi Arabia, according to the International Energy Agency. Varney credits this to the combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, harnessing the United States’ vast shale energy wealth, and the Trump administration’s focus on fostering domestic production.
Yet, not everyone is onboard with game-changing shale energy. Exhibit A is New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Again, Varney:
“You can’t frack in New York State even though there is a mother-load of shale underneath upstate New York. Gov. Cuomo says no, you can’t go get it. Across the state line in Pennsylvania, fracking is a multibillion-dollar industry, so instead of tapping into a much-needed resource of income, Gov. Cuomo will raise taxes.”
Varney makes a great point. New York is the fourth-largest consumer of natural gas, with more than 4.4 million New York homes, 398,000 businesses and 6,000 industrial users of the clean, abundant and affordable fuel. Yet the state’s natural gas resources have been held hostage by Cuomo’s anti-energy stances, perpetuating a state ban on hydraulic fracturing and blocking natural gas infrastructure. Karen Moreau, API-New York executive director:
“The U.S. natural gas and oil industry contributes more than $35 billion to the state’s economy and supports 258,500 jobs, in spite of Gov. Cuomo's ban on natural gas drilling and pipelines. New York is, however, more a story of what might have been had the governor approved fracking in 2012, when DEC's own estimates predicted 50,000 jobs. Or maybe if he had allowed the Constitution pipeline, whose impact on the route would have meant 10,000 jobs. Instead, unemployed New Yorkers get to travel to Pennsylvania in search of opportunity in an industry which has paid a median salary of $101,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Moving forward, we hope that the governor would stop denying New Yorkers the benefits that would come from development of our state’s vast energy resources.”
The fact is there are effective federal and state regulations for natural gas development, as well as infrastructure construction. Meanwhile, increased use of natural gas to fuel electricity generation is the leading reason carbon emissions from the U.S. power sector are at their lowest point in nearly 30 years.
We have and can produce energy responsibly and we need our political leaders to put our national security and economy, and the needs of consumers first. Gov. Cuomo’s refusal to tap New York’s energy potential has put the state’s economy on a reckless path and ignores the needs of New York families. New Yorkers deserve the chance to join in the American energy renaissance and reap more of its benefits.
To borrow a catch phrase from the state’s economic development pitches, it’s time Gov. Cuomo had a different New York state of mind.
About The Author
Sabrina Fang is an API media relations representative. Before joining API she worked for the Washington Humane Society and was a reporter for Tribune Broadcasting and covered the White House for seven years. Fang studied broadcast journalism at Syracuse University before starting her career. She enjoys reading, watching movies and spending time with family.