Stacy Garrity Lays Out Vision To ‘Unleash’ Natural Gas Industry

By Peter Hall | Pennsylvania Capital-Star

State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the Republican nominee for governor, said she would order an end to a state ban on new fracking sites “on day one” of her administration as part of her plan to “unleash Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry.”

Garrity announced her plan in a speech Tuesday to the natural gas industry group Marcellus Shale Coalition, where she said she envisions “Pennsylvania’s turnaround” powered by natural gas.

“I see a Pennsylvania where families and businesses no longer dread opening their electric bills,” Garrity said, according to a copy of the speech provided by her campaign. “I see a Pennsylvania where the natural gas from my community in Bradford County is being processed at an LNG facility in Philadelphia, and then exported around the globe.”

Garrity, who ran unopposed for the nomination last month, is challenging incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in a race where energy policy is sure to dominate the debate. 

The commonwealth faces soaring electricity prices as demand driven by artificial intelligence data centers is forecast to increase to unprecedented levels during the next decade. 

And the nation is girding itself for higher gas prices and fuel shortages as the United States’ war against Iran continues in its third month, prolonging the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major petroleum shipping route.

Garrity said the future she envisions, “is not what we see in Pennsylvania today, and it’s not the Pennsylvania we will be if we stay on our current path.” She noted the commonwealth sits toward the bottom compared to other states in measures including economic growth, education and overall success.

“So, how do we get from where we are today to where we all know we can be?” she asked, noting the commonwealth’s history of energy production going back to the first oil well, drilled in 1859 in Titusville, Pa.

“We do it with you, and Pennsylvania natural gas! Together, we will make Pennsylvania America’s energy leader, and with it, America the energy leader for the world,” Garrity said.

In her speech, Garrity said she would sign an executive order on her first day in office “to lift the outdated ban on new drilling sites.”

There’s no statewide ban on new gas drilling sites, but there is a moratorium on drilling in state parks and on new leases in state forests. Fracking is also banned in the Delaware River Watershed under a prohibition enforced by the multi-state Delaware River Basin Commission. Garrity’s campaign did not respond to a request for clarification. The state Department of Environmental Protection is also reviewing a regulation that would require a 500-foot setback from 

Garrity said she would also call a special session of the General Assembly to fast-track permits for natural gas production, eliminate outdated or duplicative regulations, establish firm timelines for approvals and reform or eliminate renewable energy and efficiency mandates.

She noted the number of jobs in the natural gas industry in Pennsylvania, at 120,000, is less than half what it was a decade ago. 

“My plan will expand energy generation capacity and spur downstream manufacturing,” Garrity said. “And done right, we can create more than 200,000 jobs and $6 billion in revenue for state and local communities, allowing us to drill and frack our way out of the $5 billion hole we find ourselves in today.”

As governor, Shapiro has endorsed an “all-of-the-above” energy policy. It acknowledges that fossil fuels will play an important role in the commonwealth’s energy future even as the state  moves toward greater use of clean and renewable energy, including wind, solar and nuclear power. His campaign did not comment Thursday on Garrity’s proposals.

In 2025, Shapiro unveiled the Lightning Plan to:

• Streamline permitting for energy projects
• Provide tax credits for electric reliability projects, clean hydrogen development and sustainable aviation fuel
• Establish a carbon credit program for greenhouse gas emitters that requires auction proceeds to be reinvested in reducing energy costs
• Modernize the commonwealth’s energy standards, including requirements for a greater proportion of clean energy to be used 
• Programs to reduce energy costs in rural communities and households.

In this year’s budget address, Shapiro introduced the Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development Standards. They would address the costs associated with data center development and the region’s electricity grid by requiring data centers to provide their own power and pay all of the costs of connecting to the grid. 

The GRID Standards also make eligibility for tax breaks contingent upon meeting benchmarks for transparency and community engagement, workforce development, and environmental protection.

Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Tim Lambert for questions: info@penncapital-star.com.