Pennsylvania Will Be Just as Important in the 2020 Presidential Election as It Was in 2016

August 21, 2020

Pennsylvania is once again an important battleground state for the upcoming presidential election. It comes as no surprise with the state’s entire fracking industry on the line this year. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has continued to inch further to the left on energy policy over the course of his campaign and many have speculated that Senator Kamala Harris, who has stated there was “no question” she’d ban fracking, will only exacerbate that process.

Congressman Guy Reschenthaler who represents Pennsylvania’s 14^th district understands exactly what will happen if a ban on fracking is ever enforced in his state. Rep. Reschenthaler recently did an interview with Newsmax TV’s Stinchfield show and said the following:

Pennsylvania … might be Joe Biden’s home in Scranton, but it’s going to be home to another 20 electoral votes for President Trump come this fall.

We have over 600,000 jobs that are tied to the oil and gas industry. We get cheap abundant natural gas, we get lower energy bills because of this industry.

Power the Future previously did a study that shows the difference between a state who continues to let the fracking industry thrive, Pennsylvania, and one that has banned fracking completely, New York. New York has been losing hundreds of jobs a year since the 2014 fracking ban and has resulted in a “statistically significant increase in unemployment.”

While Pennsylvania’s workforce has been increasing in size and wages, the majority of the development has happened in rural and poorer parts of the state and job growth and local revenue has been largely welcomed by residents and businesses.

From 2007-2012, despite the great recession, the state experienced large job and wage growth, including: 259 percent increase of jobs in the oil and natural gas industry, 12 percent increase in average annual pay, and 36% growth in wages in the oil and natural gas industry.

Since 2012, the natural gas impact fee has raised at least $1.7 billion for the state.

It is important for the people of Pennsylvania to understand exactly what the 2020 election could mean for their state. The prosperous industry that supports over 600,000 jobs in the state and brings in billions in state revenue deserves to be protected. A Biden/Harris ticket threatens those good paying jobs, the cheap and reliable energy, and state revenue the industry provides.