Momentum Building for Marcellus Works Proposal
 
HARRISBURG – Support is growing for the Marcellus Works plan to create thousands of new jobs and secure Pennsylvania’s energy future, House Republican Policy Committee Chairman Stan Saylor (R-York) said today.
 
Saylor said since Marcellus Works was unveiled last week, he has received phone calls and expressions of support from lawmakers, industry stakeholders, and private citizens from across the nation. Among those who have expressed support are CNGNow, Natural Gas Vehicles Now, and the P.C. McKenzie Company.
 
“Momentum has been building since we offered our plan,” Saylor said. “I have heard from people in the natural gas industry as well as industries that will benefit from the growth of natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania, and private citizens who are ready to go to work in the jobs our plan will create. They all appreciate and support our vision for creating jobs and securing Pennsylvania’s energy and economic futures.”
 
“As a manufacturer of Compressed Natural Gas filling stations, I understand the tremendous jobs potential of Marcellus Works,” said Mark Good, president of Pittsburgh-based P.C. McKenzie Company, the worldwide master distributor for Ingersoll Rand’s CNG product line. “It is important that we encourage a demand for these products in Pennsylvania so the jobs stay in Pennsylvania instead of going to the other states that have taken the lead in this emerging field.”
 
Saylor also noted that he offered the Marcellus Works package as an amendment, during House debate on Senate Bill 1155, a plan to impose a severance tax on Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry. While the amendment did not garner the two-thirds support required for the House to consider it, nine House Democrats broke ranks with their own party to support it.

“If that had been an up or down vote, Marcellus Works would have passed,” Saylor said. “This is not a partisan issue. It is a jobs issue. The bipartisan support my amendment received on the House floor is proof that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle recognize the potential for jobs and revenue Marcellus Works represents.”
 
The Marcellus Works plan has four main components:
 
1.      Transition state vehicles to clean natural gas.
 
2.      Provide tax credits for clean natural gas vehicles and infrastructure.
 
3.      Provide conversion grants to encourage local governments to convert their fleets to clean natural gas vehicles.
 
4.      Make the Pennsylvania Turnpike a “Clean Natural Gas Corridor” across the Commonwealth by constructing clean natural gas stations at every other service station.
 
“As I have said before, the formula is very simple,” Saylor concluded. “Pennsylvania’s abundant supply of natural gas, plus a large demand for that natural gas in Pennsylvania will equal jobs for Pennsylvanians. Marcellus Works will create jobs. It will generate revenue, and it will secure Pennsylvania’s energy future for generations to come.”
 
For more information about Marcellus Works visit http://energyforpa.com/MarcellusWorks.aspx and http://pahousegop.com/marcellusworks.aspx.
 
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