Coalition leader urges U.S. to provide energy to Europe
Dave Callahan, like most people across the globe, is appalled by Russia鈥檚 unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
鈥淭his is just a horrible situation that the world is watching play out,鈥� said Callahan, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, a trade association that advocates for unconventional shale development, especially from the Marcellus and Utica plays 鈥� where there is an abundance of natural gas.
It鈥檚 a source European nations can use.
The United States and other nations have responded to the brazen attacks by condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin and issuing sanctions against his country, adversely impacting its economy.
As the Washington Post reported: 鈥淭he United States, Europe and their allies rely on Russia for some oil and gas, and a few specialized materials. But they also supply Russia with much of its machinery, vehicles, technology and equipment that help Russia鈥檚 economy run 鈥� Without global trade, Russian factories would sit idle, businesses would shutter and shelves would sit bare.鈥�
Western nations, thus far, have not established energy sanctions against Russia, which last year was the world鈥檚 largest natural gas exporter. Some countries have advocated for these sanctions, maintaining they would have a powerful impact, but doing so could lead to even higher energy prices across the globe.
鈥淚ntertwined energy security is directly related to national security,鈥� Callahan said. 鈥淓uropean countries have relied on 40% or so of their natural gas from Russia.鈥�
Ukraine imports natural gas from Russia and other nations, but supplies more than 60% of its own consumption, according to a January report.
Helping European countries, Callahan said, is where the U.S. and Southwestern Pennsylvania come in.
鈥淭he United States has a significant role to play here,鈥� Callahan said. 鈥淲e can provide (European nations) with the abundant fuel we have here. And the fuel we would provide would be a cleaner fuel than they get from Russia. U.S. producers are working under the world鈥檚 most stringent environmental conditions.鈥�
Citing data reported by the Clean Air Task Force, Callahan said natural gas produced in 鈥淧utin鈥檚 Russia鈥� has a 65% higher methane intensity rate than gas sourced in the U.S. He added that gas from the Appalachian region has the lowest methane intensity in the nation.
Pennsylvania is a linchpin in national production, ranking second among states in gas produced. Pennsylvania, according to Callahan, produced 7.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2021. 鈥淭hat amount would heat 114 million homes for a year. The state is producing more than we can use. We are duty bound to help the nations of Europe.鈥�
The southwestern corner plays a large role in the Keystone State鈥檚 national ranking. Of the state鈥檚 67 counties, Washington and Greene, annually, are among the top producers. Washington was second last year.
The Appalachian region, as a whole, is projected to lead the country in gas production March into April.
Callahan was in Washington on Wednesday for a private conference about the industry, and spoke with the Observer-Reporter that afternoon. Callahan praised Washington County for its diverse economy. 鈥淣atural gas is doing well, and that鈥檚 just one piece of the pie.鈥�
The natural gas industry had been in a slump in recent years, but Callahan said there are signs that the industry 鈥渋s moving ahead.鈥�
He acknowledged that 鈥渨e have issues and hurdles at the federal and state levels, which are hindering the ability to get product to market. We need to de-bottleneck permitting systems that cause delays that drag to 100-some days. We need to secure approvals for projects like pipelines and export facilities.鈥�
Assisting Europe with energy needs is a top priority as well.