Pipeline’s demise won’t halt energy progress
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States made a remarkable economic turnaround. President Donald Trump’s innovation-driven “American Energy Dominance” agenda has and will continue to focus on creating opportunities for promoting economic growth, and streamlining an outdated regulatory system that had held back our economy with needless bottlenecks and costly delays.
Supporters of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline recently won a victory in the U.S. Supreme Court, giving the project access under the Appalachian Trail, and the construction of that pipeline would have, indeed, helped create new markets for natural gas from Appalachia. Ensuring access to low-cost energy will continue to be a priority for the president, and promoting such projects remains a priority at the Department of Energy.
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce had estimated that the ACP would have supported some 8,800 union jobs and
$1.4 billion in economic activity. Many of those jobs would have been filled by residents of the Old Dominion.
The ACP’s cancellation drew applause from radical environmentalists, who claimed the decision as a victory.
This decision is neither a victory for the environment, nor for those who desire reliable and affordable energy, nor for our nation’s overall economic health.
Natural gas is one of the cleanest energy sources, and its growing use has contributed to the United States leading the world by orders of magnitude in lowering energy-related carbon emissions. Natural gas has the lowest carbon emissions of any fossil fuel, so it’s not surprising that in a Senate hearing two years before becoming Energy secretary, Ernest Moniz called it a key “bridge fuel” toward a clean energy future.
We have many other tools in the kit for promoting abundant energy and jobs in the Appalachian region, and we will continue to develop the innovations that will allow the United States to use all of its abundant resources for decades to come.
This administration is committed to developing our energy infrastructure and harnessing all of America’s abundant energy resources — including natural gas, oil, coal, nuclear, hydro, wind and solar. We are also dedicated to regulatory reform, especially to ensure the development of America’s essential energy infrastructure is not impeded by unnecessary delays.
In April 2019, the president signed an executive order to streamline federal processes surrounding energy infrastructure development and to promote private investment in America’s energy infrastructure.
The executive order promotes private investment in energy infrastructure through efficient permitting; regulations that reflect “best practices” and “bestavailable technologies;” timely action on projects; increased regulatory certainty for new energy infrastructure; effective stewardship of natural resources; and support for American ingenuity, the free market and capitalism.
Turning our back on infrastructure projects and other investments that facilitate the delivery of our abundant energy resources to new and growing markets will increase our energy costs, slow down the growth of vital industries, harm our energy independence and cost Americans jobs.
Increasing U.S. natural gas production and ensuring its dependable delivery in times of emergency are supported by President Trump’s commitment to a pro-growth policy and permitting environment. The Department of Energy is proud to partner with and support industries to enable a productive economy, spur job growth and increase the quality of livelihoods for all in the United States.
Steven Winberg