In a letter to President Joe Biden sent last week, the PA Chamber of Business and Industry and a group of 60 statewide businesses and trade associations urged the administration to support energy policies that will help provide relief and security for consumers and businesses.

In its letter to officials, the coalition noted that the industry represents a significant part of the nation’s economic and fiscal future and that “our energy independence hinges on sound policy the incentivizes resource development, modernizes energy infrastructure, and streamlines burdensome regulations.”

To avoid further economic impact, the PA Chamber and coalition members stated that policymakers and the Biden administration could help ensure accessible affordable, and reliable U.S. energy by doing the following:

• Provide certainty on oil and natural gas leasing by compelling the Department of the Interior to meet deadlines and honor its obligation to lease on federal lands and waters.
• Permit energy infrastructure and halt the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s increased regulatory barriers for approving natural gas pipelines.
• Execute the laws that mandate the DOI to complete a long-term offshore program to avoid unnecessary production and development disruption. No offshore lease sales can be held without the five-year program in place and the next program, which should be in place by July 1,

is severely behind schedule, and will not be finalized by the time the current program expires.

The PA Manufacturers Associations, Marcellus Shale Coalition, the Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association, Pennsylvania Independent Petroleum Producers, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce, and Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce were among signers to the letter.