As our economy continues to rebound from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, it is important to understand that one of the primary costs of manufacturing is the cost of energy. Manufacturing in this country began in New England and the Northeast by taking full advantage of our many rivers. If manufacturing is to remain a feature of our economy and provide good jobs for our workers, it is critical that our region have access to cheap energy, just as it was critical 200 years ago.
The problem is that New England is one of the most expensive regions of the country and, indeed, the world for energy costs. We have traditionally been dependent on coal and oil to meet our heating and electricity needs. These are also among the “dirtiest” energy sources, and as a result, our region has begun an extensive effort to replace these fuels with greener technologies and natural gas.
We have made great progress in these efforts but we are many years away from being able to count on alternative energy sources like wind and solar to reliably and cost-effectively meet our needs on an adequate scale. Natural gas, however, represents a clean, abundant and potentially cost-effective answer to our present energy needs. As renewable energy sources such as wind and solar advance, natural gas will remain an essential component of our regional energy landscape.
Just 300 miles from New England sits one of the world’s largest known supplies of natural gas — Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale. This and sources similar to it in other parts of the country have sparked a manufacturing renaissance in America. It could provide the same benefits to New England manufacturers, businesses and residents — if we could get the gas the 300 miles from Pennsylvania to New England.
While this natural gas supply is close, clean and critical to meeting our needs, we do not have enough existing pipeline to get Marcellus Shale gas here. While our economy slowly recovers, our manufacturing sector is in serious jeopardy of leaving the region and taking with it valuable jobs if our energy needs go unaddressed. We can do something about this.
The reality is that natural gas exists today, not sometime and somewhere in the future. And it’s a much cleaner alternative to the oil and coal fuels it replaces. Natural gas pipelines can be built safely and sensitively — as they are throughout the country — to bring cheap Marcellus gas into New England. Our businesses, workers and families shouldn’t have to pay the highest energy costs in the nation when a plentiful supply of domestic natural gas is available just a few states away.
Make no mistake about it — jobs are on the line. Jobs that pay well, that provide benefits and a good economic future for workers and their families. Some factories have already closed or shut down for periods of time, leaving workers without wages as families are pushed to the financial brink. And what is so distressing is that while this is happening, there is something that can be done if our leaders have the political will to expand our pipeline capacity.
Pipeline siting, approval and construction can often take years, but we are fortunate that we have pipeline projects, such as the Constitution Pipeline proposal in New York, that are well along in the approval process. If New York advances the project this spring, Constitution could be up and running within a year.
We all want a clean environment, and we also want jobs and financial stability. Fortunately, natural gas strikes the right balance. But instead of relying on foreign and more expensive sources, we need to make sure that the natural gas in Pennsylvania can make its way to New England. Here’s hoping that logic can prevail and that a pipeline can be built to bring local, affordable, domestic natural gas to New England. Businesses and families are depending on it.
Richard Abradi is the energy manager at Catalyst Paper in Rumford. Catalyst Paper is western North America’s largest manufacturer of diverse specialty mechanical printing papers, newsprint and pulp.