The Biden administration’s suspension of natural gas exports has put the president in a politically difficult position in Pennsylvania, one of the key battleground states in November.
Pennsylvania has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the last decade’s natural gas boom in the United States. Energy Information Administration data shows the state’s production will reach 7.5 trillion cubic feet in 2022, making it second in the nation after Texas. Advisory firm FTI Consulting estimates the industry supports about 123,000 jobs in the state.
The administration earlier this year suspended new export permits for liquefied natural gas (LNG) while it analyzed its impact on climate change, but Biden is in a close race with former President Trump. Not only will there be, but it is certain that the Republicans will mount a fierce attack. But it’s also where Democrats are trying to hold on to key seats in the Senate.
“This is one of those polarizing issues within the Democratic Party. It depends on what state you’re in and what part of that state you’re in,” said Samuel Chen, a Republican political strategist based in Pennsylvania. ” he said. “I think this is an albatross in the sense that if he leans more towards the climate issue of the party, we will lose people from these industries… [but] If he leans the other way, he risks isolating the environment. ”
President Trump has long sought to link Biden to his support for banning hydraulic fracturing, which is responsible for the state’s natural gas boom. Biden’s official campaign platform never proposed a ban, but the Republican candidate blasted him on the issue during the 2020 presidential debate, calling for a “certain elimination” and “no new He brought up Biden’s comments about opposing “hydraulic fracturing.”
No new proposed bans have materialized during President Biden’s tenure. But the administration’s suspension of LNG export licenses drew criticism from Republicans, and some Democrats in the state, including Sen. Bob Casey, who is up for re-election, have urged them to distance themselves from the White House on the issue. Became.
“While the immediate impact on Pennsylvania remains to be seen, this outage will have a long-term impact on thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry,” Casey and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) said in a statement. “I’m worried that he might give it away,” he said. stated in a joint statement During February. “If this decision jeopardizes energy jobs in Pennsylvania, we will urge the Biden administration to reverse this decision.”
Mr. Casey has consistently outperformed Mr. Biden in the state, and currently leads Republican challenger David McCormack by 7 points in combined polls from The Hill and Decision Desk Headquarters. . Biden, on the other hand, beats Trump by about 1 point, with a combined approval rating of 47% to 48%.
Casey[has] That’s because Pennsylvanians are his only constituency, Chen pointed out. “For President Biden, he will be running in 50 states and the District of Columbia. What works in Pennsylvania may not work in Georgia.”
Pittsburgh-based Democratic strategist Mike Mikus called Casey’s opposition to Biden on this issue “smart politics.”
“When you’re running a statewide election in Pennsylvania, showing some degree of independence, regardless of the issue, always wins over voters,” he told The Hill.
Either way, Democrats suspect the issue will significantly damage Mr. Biden.
“In fact, I’m very confident that the president will win Pennsylvania,” Fetterman told The Hill. “[But] It’s going to be very close, and Trump is very popular in Pennsylvania. I don’t think natural gas is the defining theme there. ”
Fetterman added that while “Bob Casey and I did not see eye to eye on this decision,” “we were able to be very committed partners in carrying Pennsylvania and delivering victory.” he added.
Mikus echoed Fetterman’s sentiments.
“If I were President Biden and his campaign team, I wouldn’t be so worried. Natural gas is important in Pennsylvania, but on this issue — there was a political fight over this issue 15 years ago,” Mikus said. he said. “I think anyone who feels strongly in any way has already chosen a side.”
Young, progressive voters, voters who ranked the environment as a top priority, and the combination of all three were key parts of the coalition that secured Biden’s 2020 victory.
Many of the president’s early moves, including a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on public lands that are now ending, and the appointment of Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior, drew praise from these circles.
But during his term as president, he has frustrated the public with moves such as approving a major oil drilling project in Alaska, and many young voters have also expressed dissatisfaction with his handling of non-environmental issues such as the war in Gaza. I feel disillusioned.
In recent days, Mr. Biden has taken steps such as suspending LNG and restricting oil drilling in large swathes of the Arctic, earning him positive reviews from environmentalists in his party. During his Earth Day remarks last week, he shared the stage with some of the party’s leading progressive voices, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York).
Mikus said the political polarization that has occurred in national politics could ultimately blunt the impact of natural gas decisions in Pennsylvania.
“I think it’s a direct result of the overreaching attacks Republicans have been making on Democrats over the years” on environmental issues, he said. “if [voters] They are strongly supportive, gravitate toward the Republican Party, and remain there. ”
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