Pennsylvania could be the deciding state in the 2024 election. And a new poll from my organization reveals that energy may be the deciding issue for Pennsylvania voters.
Energy matters more to Pennsylvania than almost any other state, where polls show Donald Trump and Kamala Harris tied.
We are the second largest producer of natural gas, with production totaling an impressive 7.5 trillion cubic feet in 2022.
Similarly, Pennsylvania is the number one exporter of electricity, providing power to neighboring states such as New York.
The biggest reason we are able to produce so many products is because of what is well known as hydraulic fracturing. Revolutionary advances in energy exploration will allow Pennsylvania to not only produce enough natural gas to keep energy costs low for homes and businesses, but also have enough left over to ship around the world. It's now possible.
Understandably, voters in the Keystone State want candidates who will protect our way of life and free up our vast energy resources.
We don't want a candidate who attacks the energy that supports our economy and is essential to our future.
It's no surprise to see Kamala Harris fail on fracking.
Five years ago, before becoming vice president, Harris made clear she wanted to ban fracking. There are few things more detrimental or unattractive to Pennsylvania than a potential president.
So fast forward to today, and now the candidate says she doesn't support a fracking ban.
But does she really think so?
In recent days, her campaign has walked back She has renewed support for hydraulic fracturing, with an aide declaring, “She's not pushing for expansion.”
and As leader of the Biden-Harris administration, she lots of policies That risks harming natural gas production and sagging the industry.
We are talking about painful one-size-fits-all mandates, bans on exports of liquefied natural gas, and unreliable “green” energy sources that unfairly increase energy sources at the expense of hydraulic fracturing. It's a huge taxpayer subsidy.
As a member of my organization, Pennsylvania voters are beginning to realize this truth. voting program.
Nearly eight in 10 voters believe natural gas drilling is important to the state's economy. This leaves Harris torn between defending the administration's policies and delivering them for Pennsylvania voters.
The last thing our state needs is more from the Vice President.
Only 23% of voters support the government's controversial plan to ban LNG exports.
Although the policy is so unpopular that even the state's two Democratic senators and Democratic governor have voiced opposition, Harris fully embraces it.
Pennsylvanians have made it perfectly clear what kind of policy they want. Almost three-quarters of voters want more natural gas infrastructure built, especially pipelines.
But as vice president, Harris is part of an administration that has unilaterally blocked pipeline development.
These swing staters similarly want to reduce excessive bureaucracy, which 57% say hinders energy production without helping the environment.
However, the Biden-Harris administration has dramatically expanded the regulatory state and slowed U.S. energy development.
And Pennsylvanians have a strong desire for the affordable energy that hydraulic fracturing can provide. Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly, by a 60-point margin, say their household bills are increasing and they are concerned about the availability of affordable energy in the future.
More than two-thirds say ensuring affordable energy should be a higher priority for the federal government than “fighting climate change.”
In fact, 57% of the state's voters wouldn't want to spend even $100 of their own money in the name of fighting climate change. That should be it. Throughout the past four years, my fellow residents have consistently said rising costs are their biggest concern.
People want what Pennsylvania uniquely has to offer: abundant, affordable energy that creates jobs, keeps the lights on, and leads to better lives for all.
This widespread desire will very likely determine the winner of Pennsylvania and, by extension, the White House itself.
Andrew J. Lewis is president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, a free market think tank in Pennsylvania..
