Our natural gas advantage: built by rural hands
By Jim Gregory | The Center Square contributor
(The Center Square) – Out here in rural Pennsylvania, we know the value of hard work, self-reliance, and making the most of what God’s given us. For generations, our land and our people have powered this state and this nation – first with coal, then with natural gas, and now, we stand at the threshold of another great opportunity: blue hydrogen.
Pennsylvania is the second-largest natural gas producer in the country, thanks to the sweat and ingenuity of folks in places just like ours. The pipelines and storage tanks that crisscross our hills aren’t just steel – they’re the backbone of family farms, small towns, and local businesses. When natural gas companies came calling, many of us leased our land and saw firsthand how energy development can bring real prosperity. New barns, new tractors, new community facilities, and new hope for the next generation of energy resources.
But we also remember what happens when outsiders and bureaucrats try to tell us what’s best for our land. We value our property rights and our say in how energy projects are developed through community dialogue and engagement. Any new energy future must respect local voices and keep the benefits close to home.
Enter hydrogen.
Let’s be clear: blue hydrogen isn’t some pie-in-the-sky idea cooked up in a city office. It’s a practical, made-in-America solution that uses our abundant natural gas – paired with new technology to capture carbon – to fuel the industries that built Pennsylvania: steel, cement, chemicals, and trucking. Over 95% of hydrogen in the U.S. already comes from natural gas. Why let Texas or Louisiana run away with this opportunity when we have the resources and know-how right here?
Blue hydrogen means jobs for our welders, truck drivers, and tradesmen. It means more business for local suppliers and more tax dollars for our schools and roads. It’s a way to keep energy affordable and reliable, made by Pennsylvanians, for Pennsylvanians.
The hydrogen economy is projected to bring billions in investment and tens of thousands of good-paying jobs to Pennsylvania. That’s not just numbers on a spreadsheet – that’s families staying together, small towns thriving and new life for communities hit hard by the decline of coal and manufacturing. And with two federally funded hydrogen hubs coming to our state, we have a once-in-a-generation chance to lead. We need policies that guarantee local jobs, respect landowners, and keep wealth in our communities – not shipped out of state or overseas unless it is in an extracted resource form.
Other countries – China, Japan, South Korea – are racing to dominate hydrogen. If we drag our feet, the jobs and industries of the future will end up somewhere else. The federal government has stepped up with 45V and 45Q tax credits and funding, but it’s up to us in Pennsylvania to seize the moment. We’ve always produced energy better than anyone – preserving these policy incentives will help us keep it that way.
What we don’t need is more uncertainty from Washington or Harrisburg. Endless debates about tax credits and emissions rules only scare off investment and stall progress. We need clear, common-sense policies that cut red tape, speed up permitting, and let local communities have a real say in how projects are built.
And let’s remember: energy policy shouldn’t punish states like ours that produce clean, domestic fuels. It should reward us for doing the hard work that keeps America strong and dominant through energy innovation via rural work ethic.
Rural Pennsylvania has always answered the call when America needed energy. Blue hydrogen is our next chapter – a way to honor our past, secure our future, and keep our communities working. Let’s demand policies that put Pennsylvania first, respect our land and our people, and ensure that the benefits of this new energy economy are felt right here at home.
It’s time for rural voices to lead – because nobody knows energy, or what’s best for our land, better than we do, right here where industrialization was born out of PA homegrown energy innovation and opportunity.
Jim Gregory, Executive Director of Conservative Energy Network, Rural Pennsylvania Landowner and former Conservative State House Representative for PA’s 80th District.
