On March 8, the PA Chamber joined the U.S. Chamber in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of PennEast Pipeline v. New Jersey. The case centers on the ability of the state of New Jersey to attempt to unilaterally obstruct the federally approved pipeline project. The Biden administration also filed an amicus brief in the case last week, taking a similar position the Trump administration took in earlier stages of the litigation, noting that the federal Natural Gas Act affirms that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has primary authority in determining when and where interstate gas pipelines are needed.

The PennEast pipeline project represents the potential for 12,000 construction jobs and a total investment of more than $1.6 billion in infrastructure and labor. The 114-mile project would deliver natural gas from northeastern Pennsylvania to markets in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, supporting drilling and production jobs in the northern tier and providing reliable energy to businesses and consumers. Economic analyses have shown that Pennsylvania and New Jersey ratepayers could have saved $435 million during the winter had PennEast been operational.

The PA Chamber will continue to support the buildout of vital infrastructure projects, including gas, electric, highway and telecommunications assets are part of its on-going policy advocacy and under the Bringing PA Back initiative. State and federal regulatory reforms are necessary to ensure our state and nation’s economy has the infrastructure it needs to compete in an increasingly competitive global environment.