Energy Policy: Fracking Key to Pennsylvania and U.S. Economy

Fracking was front and center in this year’s election, especially in the energy-producing swing state of Pennsylvania. But it is more than a wedge political issue unique to the Keystone State.

Indeed, it’s a critical component of American energy that has multiplier effects on our economy, grid reliability, and national sovereignty. Fracking is also inextricably linked to the cost-of-living concerns that drove voters to the ballot box, and, in an age obsessed with “carbon footprints,” fracking has done more to help reduce emissions than have electric vehicles, solar panels, and wind turbines combined.

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About the Author

André Béliveau

André Béliveau is the senior manager of energy policy at the Commonwealth Foundation, Pennsylvania’s free-market think tank.

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Fracking was front and center in this year’s election, especially in the energy-producing swing state of Pennsylvania. But it is more than a wedge political issue unique to the Keystone State.

Indeed, it’s a critical component of American energy that has multiplier effects on our economy, grid reliability, and national sovereignty. Fracking is also inextricably linked to the cost-of-living concerns that drove voters to the ballot box, and, in an age obsessed with “carbon footprints,” fracking has done more to help reduce emissions than have electric vehicles, solar panels, and wind turbines combined.