Environmental groups are paying for the economic destruction of Pennsylvania with Russian money

Critics of energy policy like nothing more than to withhold contributions to the campaign from fossil fuel interests as proof that recipient support depends solely on greed.

There is often no acknowledgment of the other side: environmental lobbyists and political action committees (PACs) also exist, their money often comes from shady sources, and their agenda coincides with geopolitical opponents committed to the demise of Western democracies, the U.S. chief said. among them.

I support the United States and am very proud of Pennsylvania’s position in energy production in that country. I like to think that’s why people support me. Energy is the key to a viable and sustainable economy. Does anyone really care about the environment if they don’t know where their next meal will come from and can afford to pay the bills?

Yes, I have accepted donations from energy companies and political action committees. And yes, I agree that the abundance of fossil fuels in Pennsylvania is an economic asset that needs to be managed with precision, not a dirty and shameful malignancy that needs to be broken regardless of the consequences. I would believe these things with or without a single contribution to the campaign on my behalf.

Some of my colleagues who disagree with me are accepting donations from the Green Lobby and the related PAC. I am confident that their support for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is based on their personal beliefs and voter support, rather than a $ 1,500 contribution from the Natural Resources Council, the Sierra Club or the League of Voters for Nature Conservation.

And, of course, this has nothing to do with weakening U.S. gas and oil production to strengthen resource-rich countries such as Russia or China, as proposed by the Senate Committee on Environmental Resources and Energy back in 2018.

Nearly four years before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a Daily Signal reporter testified that environmental groups that conducted successful anti-fracking campaigns in New York were funded by a California funding incubator that took millions from the Russian government. and Vladimir Putin.

Perhaps if these groups had been less successful, natural gas from Pennsylvania could have supplied Western European countries that want to dump Russian imports without creating an energy crisis. At least we would have supplied New York and New England, but Putin’s money also prevented that.

And I can’t erase the mental picture of some so-called environmentalists rejoicing at the cessation of the New Fortress liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Bradford County when Western Europe desperately needs our help to compensate for Russia’s natural gas supply crunch. Is this really something to be proud of?

Highlighting what is claimed as moral exaltation is a short-sighted tactic, but is often the case in the progressive left. Take, for example, RGGI, a quarterly auction in which 11 states apply for loans to offset carbon emissions from their energy sector.

Pennsylvania, by order of the executive and without any legislative contribution, became the 12th state to join the RGGI last week. The administration’s own estimates, released in January, estimate that the program will generate more than $ 400 million in annual revenue for Pennsylvania, paid for by consumers of all types.

This de facto represents a tax on carbon dioxide for generators and will leave thousands of workers unemployed. Independent analysts also believe that this will increase energy costs in double digits for residents, including many low-income and fixed-income earners who are already experiencing record high inflationary pressures.

Thus, faced with a lack of justification for their position, neither from an economic nor from an environmental point of view, RGGI supporters are moving away from the non-scientific position to which we have a “moral duty” to join. Anyone who disagrees is nothing more than a fossil fuel company, with dollar signs in its eyes and a lump of coal pounding in its chest.

There are never any nuances. It is never acknowledged that air flows freely and indiscriminately through government lines. RGGI is doing nothing to stop emissions from power plants in Ohio or West Virginia from flowing into Pennsylvania. However, it closes factories, unemploys thousands and destroys communities across the state – and for what? Less than one percentage point in reducing carbon emissions.

It’s sad to see us wasting time looking for the non-existent benefits of RGGI, while the Department of the Environment estimates that 200,000 idle gas wells built more than 50 years ago continue to emit methane, a greenhouse gas that is 34 times more destructive for our atmosphere, than carbon dioxide, into the air we breathe every day.

I care about the environment, and I support policies that offer creative and collaborative solutions to the problems we face, such as bills I co-authored to clean streams, carry out carbon capture and sequestration, and close down the helpless. gas wells. These proposals involve industry in tackling climate problems without levying unconstitutional taxes and eliminating jobs.

Like it or not, energy is inextricably linked to the history, culture and prosperity of Pennsylvania. We cannot break away from this reality, no matter how many axes this administration throws at it.

Don’t fool yourself with one-sided rhetoric that portrays critics as cartoons of greedy or conspiratorial werewolves. Look for media that tell the whole story, not just the side they want to hear. Remember the old saying about assumptions. And never forget – energy builds the economy we all count on!

State Senator Gene Yav is a Republican elected from the 23rd Senate District, which consists of Bradford, Likaming, Sullivan, Susquehan and Union. He chairs the Senate Committee on Environmental Resources and Energy.