Bill Johnson & Tim Ryan Fight for Natural Gas Jobs

Statement

Reps. Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) and Tim Ryan (D-Youngstown) released the following statement today after sending a bipartisan letter cosigned by 21 Members of Congress to the Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, calling for policies to allow American companies to capture a share of the global market for natural gas they currently don't have access to. Click here to view the letter.

"Right now, Eastern Ohio is seeing the benefits of natural gas development in the Marcellus and Utica shale plays. But it's time to realize the full potential of this abundant natural resource, and one way to do that is to start exporting it onto the global marketplace. In fact, according to the U.S. International Trade Association, America could see tens of thousands of new jobs created by allowing this abundant natural resource to be exported. Eastern Ohio has the supply, the technological know-how, and a workforce that's ready to make this happen," said Bill Johnson.

Johnson added, "Allowing American workers to increase our share of the global market for natural gas is an important part of a true "all of the above' approach to energy development that will make America more energy independent, lower the price of energy, and create much-needed jobs. With unemployment above 8% for the past 40 months, it's important to develop these abundant natural resources to once again bring exceptionalism back to America."

Tim Ryan said, "Natural gas has become a key element in the economic turnaround in my district and throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. We need to support the businesses that are creating quality jobs by allowing them to compete in the global market, and I hope that Secretary Chu will speed up the approval process in a responsible way to permit producers of LNG to export their products to consumers around the world."

Source