美联社

比尔·麦克斯温参加了宾夕法尼亚州州长共和党候选人论坛..

宾夕法尼亚州哈里斯堡。-共和党人比尔·麦克斯温承诺通过“打开天然气的水龙头”成为一名支持能源的州长。另一个有希望的人戴夫·怀特说，他希望宾夕法尼亚州“成为世界能源之都”第三位候选人Lou Barletta说，地下有大量的天然气而没有管道，就像是“在大学里喝一桶没有龙头的啤酒。”

在宾夕法尼亚州，仅次于德克萨斯州的第二大天然气生产商，该行业的重要性正在成为共和党州长候选人在5月17日初选前的首要问题。

在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰之后，这个问题变得更加紧迫。入侵乌克兰重新引发了关于如何提高国内能源产量的辩论，并促使美国总统乔·拜登(Joe Biden)承诺增加对欧洲的液化天然气出口，以削弱俄罗斯在欧洲的影响力。

然而，尽管共和党候选人做出了承诺，但他们在执政期间的所作所为仍受到限制。虽然州长对州政府机构和立法有影响力，但他们批准行业真正想要的东西的能力有限，比如建设州际管道和大型加工设施。那是因为涉及到其他州和联邦政策。

费城环保组织PennEnvironment的执行董事大卫·马苏尔(David Masur)说，“他们控制不了那些东西。“他们的权力，如果当选，止于宾夕法尼亚州的边界。如果其他州有积极的气候变化议程，清洁能源议程，市场会使清洁能源比化石燃料更有竞争力，如果不是更便宜的话。”

行业领袖称，宾夕法尼亚州的钻探活动强劲，天然气资源丰富，已经建立了管道通行权，还有数千口油井等待钻探，这些油井位于美国最丰富的天然气储层马塞勒斯页岩(Marcellus Shale)中。

但是要想了解宾夕法尼亚州的边界，只要看看它的边界就行了。

邻近的纽约和新泽西的民主党州长实际上已经阻止了主要州际管道的建设——宪法和东海岸管道——这些管道将天然气从宾夕法尼亚州输送到大都市地区，还可能阻止尚未建成的液化和出口液化天然气(LNG)的设施。

各州似乎不太可能很快改变这一立场。

新泽西州州长菲尔·墨菲(Phil Murphy)去年赢得连任，他的办公室表示，他“仍然致力于”在该州实现100%清洁能源的承诺，并在2050年前减少80%的温室气体排放。

州际管道和液化天然气设施也需要联邦政府的批准，并面临环保组织的反对，环保组织表示，天然气一定不是一种长期的能源解决方案，因为它会排放出强效的温室气体甲烷。

该行业及其共和党盟友认为，天然气可以使美国更加能源独立，抗衡俄罗斯的影响，同时比高碳石油和煤炭更加环保。

总部位于匹兹堡的天然气勘探公司EQT公司的总裁兼首席执行官托比·赖斯预计，到2030年，美国将需要6，500英里(超过10，400公里)的管道和2，500亿美元的液化天然气基础设施来服务于美国和欧洲，并大幅减少全球的煤炭使用。

尽管如此，科学家们对日益增多的天然气基础设施越来越感到担忧，并表示这将威胁到将碳排放削减至必要目标的努力。

有望获得民主党州长候选人提名的州司法部长乔希·夏皮罗谈到了平衡天然气和扩大可再生能源的问题。

夏皮罗竞选司法部长时发誓要让天然气行业负起责任。他对美国总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)政府允许通过铁路运输液化天然气的举措提出了挑战，对几家公司提出了刑事指控，并发布了一份关于加强行业监管必要性的大陪审团报告。

在竞选州长期间，他采取了中间路线的立场——部分是对有影响力的工会的认可，这些工会的工人建造发电厂、管道和炼油厂。他说，不得不在“环境正义与工作尊严和能源机会”之间做出选择是一个“错误的选择”

现任州长、民主党人汤姆·沃尔夫(Tom Wolf)在环保活动人士和业界看来是一个大杂烩。

沃尔夫受宪法限制，他的目标是使宾夕法尼亚州成为第一个实施碳定价计划的主要化石燃料州，尽管他的监管努力目前在法庭上被搁置。

环境倡导者说，与此同时，他追求对天然气生产征收更高的税，但错过了对抗温室气体的有意义的机会。

他也为该行业挺身而出:他的政府为主要的燃气发电厂、管道和炼油厂发放许可证，沃尔夫本人也签署了税收优惠以吸引天然气合成厂。

现在，建设大型天然气项目的兴趣正在飙升，新州长可能会在2023年上任，有机会获得一些项目。

实现拜登增加对欧洲天然气出口的承诺可能意味着扩大横跨宾夕法尼亚州的现有管道，并建设新的液化天然气终端，可能沿着费城附近的特拉华河。

“我们认为宾夕法尼亚州有机会成为主要的液化天然气出口国，”赖斯说。

除了液化天然气，行业支持者对在宾夕法尼亚州西南部建立一个由拜登的基础设施法资助的天然气氢燃料厂持乐观态度，此外，还将在宾夕法尼亚州的农村气田建设炼油厂，以生产化肥、化工产品和燃料。

与此同时，在宾夕法尼亚州东北部建设液化天然气设施的提议被搁置，该提议曾设想通过铁路将其产品运输到费城地区的出口终端——拜登政府正在采取行动暂停特朗普时代的液化天然气铁路规则。

行业倡导者说，虽然州长可能无法单枪匹马满足天然气行业的需求，但他或她可能会有所帮助。

巴莱塔、怀特、麦克斯温和其他九人共和党州长初选人员谈论取消不必要的法规或加快审批时间。

宾夕法尼亚工商会(Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry)主席兼首席执行官吉恩巴尔(Gene Barr)表示，这可能有助于吸引一个大项目，就像大幅削减宾夕法尼亚州的公司税率一样。

巴尔说，作为一名直言不讳的倡导者也可能有所帮助，比如游说邻州的一位州长同事批准一条管道。

最近几天，宾夕法尼亚州共和党控制的立法机构采取了一系列有利于工业的措施，包括一项敦促纽约州和新泽西州州长允许建设来自宾夕法尼亚州的天然气管道的决议。

在那场辩论中，民主党众议员格雷格·维塔利说，立法决议将动摇这些州长的想法是“异想天开”

“他们将自己决定接受哪些管道，”维塔利说，“拒绝哪些管道。”

GOP's energy promises face limits in Pa. governor's race

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Republican Bill McSwain pledges to be a pro-energy governor by “turning on the spigot of natural gas.” Another hopeful, Dave White, says he wants Pennsylvania “to be the energy capital of the world.” A third candidate, Lou Barletta, says having a glut of natural gas in the ground without a pipeline is “like being in college and having a keg of beer without a tap.”

In Pennsylvania, the No. 2 natural gas producer after Texas, the importance of the industry is emerging as a top issue among Republican contenders for governor before the state's May 17 primary.

The issue has taken on new urgency in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has revived the debate over how to enhance domestic energy production and spurred a pledge from President Joe Biden to increase liquefied natural gas exports to Europe to undercut Russia's leverage there.

Despite promises by the Republican candidates, however, there are constraints on what they could do in office. While governors have influence over state agencies and lawmaking, they have limited ability to grant what the industry really wants, like building interstate pipelines and big processing facilities. That’s because other states and federal policy are involved.

“They don’t control those things,” said David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment, a Philadelphia-based environmental group. “Their power, if elected, stops at the border of Pennsylvania. And if other states have aggressive climate-change agendas, clean-energy agendas, the marketplace makes clean energy competitive, if not cheaper, than fossil fuels.”

Industry leaders describe drilling in Pennsylvania as strong and access to gas as plentiful, with established pipeline rights of way and thousands of wells waiting to be drilled into the nation’s most prolific gas reservoir, the Marcellus Shale.

But for examples of Pennsylvania’s limits, look no farther than its borders.

Democratic governors in neighboring New York and New Jersey have effectively blocked the construction of major interstate pipelines — the Constitution and the PennEast pipelines — carrying gas from Pennsylvania to big metropolitan areas and, possibly, yet-to-be-built facilities to liquefy and export liquefied natural gas, or LNG.

The states seem unlikely to change that position anytime soon.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who won reelection last year, “remains committed” to his promise to reach 100% clean energy in the state and an 80% reduction in planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, his office said.

Interstate pipelines and LNG facilities also require federal approval and face opposition from environmental groups, which say natural gas mustn't be a long-term energy solution because it emits the potent greenhouse gas methane.

The industry and its Republican allies contend that natural gas can make the U.S. more energy independent and counter Russia’s influence, while being planet-friendlier than higher-carbon oil and coal.

Toby Rice, president and CEO of Pittsburgh-based gas exploration firm EQT Corp., projects that it would take 6,500 miles (over 10,400 km) of pipeline and $250 billion in LNG infrastructure in the U.S. to serve the U.S. and Europe and substantially cut coal use worldwide by 2030.

Still, scientists are increasingly alarmed at the growing amount of natural gas infrastructure and say it will threaten efforts to slash carbon emissions to necessary goals.

The presumed Democratic nominee for governor, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, talks of balancing natural gas with expanding renewable energy.

Shapiro ran for attorney general vowing to hold the gas industry accountable. He challenged the move by President Donald Trump’s administration to allow LNG to be shipped by rail, criminally charged several companies and issued a grand jury report on the need to toughen industry regulations.

During his campaign for governor, he has taken a middle-of-the-road stance — partly a nod to influential labor unions whose workers build power plants, pipelines and refineries. He says it's a “false choice” to have to pick between “environmental justice and the dignity of work and energy opportunity.”

The current governor, Democrat Tom Wolf, has what environmental activists and the industry see as a mixed bag.

Wolf, who is constitutionally term-limited, is aiming to make Pennsylvania the first major fossil-fuel state to impose a carbon pricing plan, although his regulatory effort is currently held up in court.

At the same time, he pursued higher taxes on natural gas production, but missed meaningful opportunities to combat greenhouse gases, environmental advocates say.

He also stepped up for the industry: His administration issued permits for major gas-fired power plants, pipelines and refineries, and Wolf himself signed off on tax breaks to lure natural gas synthesis plants.

Now, interest in building big, natural gas-fueled projects is surging, and a new governor could take office in 2023 with opportunities to land some.

Fulfilling Biden's promises to surge natural gas exports to Europe could mean expanding existing pipelines across Pennsylvania and building new LNG terminals, possibly along the Delaware River near Philadelphia.

“We think that there is an opportunity for Pennsylvania to become a major LNG exporter,” Rice said.

Beyond LNG, industry boosters are optimistic about landing a gas-fed hydrogen fuel plant — funded by Biden's infrastructure law — in southwestern Pennsylvania, plus the construction of refineries across Pennsylvania's rural gas fields to make fertilizer, chemical products and fuels.

Meanwhile, a proposal for an LNG facility in northeastern Pennsylvania that had envisioned transporting its product by rail to a Philadelphia-area export terminal is on hold — and Biden's administration is moving to suspend the Trump-era LNG-by-rail rule.

While a governor might not single-handedly give the gas industry what it wants, he or she could be helpful, industry advocates say.

Barletta, White, McSwain and others in the nine-person GOP primary field for governor talk about stripping down unnecessary regulations or speeding up permitting times.

That might help lure a big project, as would slashing Pennsylvania's corporate tax rate, said Gene Barr, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.

Being a vocal advocate could help too, like lobbying a fellow governor in a neighboring state to permit a pipeline, Barr said.

In recent days, Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Legislature took up a pro-industry package of measures, including a resolution urging the governors of New York and New Jersey to allow the construction of gas pipelines from Pennsylvania.

During that debate, Democratic state Rep. Greg Vitali said the idea that a legislative resolution would sway those governors is “fanciful.”

“They’re going to make their own decisions with regard to which pipelines they accept,” Vitali said, "and which pipelines they reject.”