Ohio Gubernatorial Candidates Agree Shale is a ‘Win-Win’
One thing continues to be true about Ohio — when it comes to shale development, the battleground Buckeye State is all-in. Ohio Republicans and Democrats alike are in agreement that natural gas is the future for Ohio and is a win for the economy and the environment. To highlight this fact, both the Republican and Democratic candidates for Ohio Governor believe that shale development is in fact a “win-win.”
Here’s what both the candidates have recently said about shale development.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray recently launched an “Ohio-Made” Energy Tour, which included a stop at the Oregon Clean Energy Center, a new combined-cycle natural gas power plant just outside of Toledo, where he told reporters that he supports the use of natural gas (made possible by fracking) stating,
“It’s a win-win for the state of Ohio.”
Cordray went on to say,
“We want to develop all of our resources because it means lots of good jobs and, as we’ve seen here, it supports the public school district and the public services in the area. It keeps energy bills down for businesses and consumers and it encourages other businesses to come here.”
On all fronts, Cordray is spot-on correct. Shale is pouring hundreds of millions into schools and local governments and infrastructure.
Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate and current Attorney General Mike Dewine has also praised shale development, stating that, if elected, his administration would embrace the natural gas industry as an “essential part” of the Ohio’s future.
Dewine has said that shale development has been a boon to the entire state, not just the core oil and gas producing counties along the Ohio River. As Dewine correctly acknowledged,
“It goes beyond these individual counties where this is currently occurring. It gives us, I think, a competitive advantage. If we do what we should do, if government does what it should do in the years ahead, we have a great future and part of that future is brought about by what’s going on with regard to natural gas.”
Both candidates are taking an “all-of-the-above” approach to their support of energy development in Ohio — but when it comes to being an economic driver, oil and natural gas has handily led the pack, bringing over $64 billion in private sector investment to the state to become one-sixth of Ohio’s economy! A common theme from both campaigns is the acknowledgement that shale has been and will continue to be a major driver of the economy for years to come.
What’s more is that its shale-driven economics that’s bringing manufacturing back to the state. At the same time, Ohio is leading the country in carbon emission reductions.
Cordray’s support of fracking is a sharp contrast to the fringe “Keep In In the Ground” agenda of recently defeated gubernatorial candidate Dennis Kucinich, reflecting the more pragmatic stance that mainstream Democratic leaders are increasingly calling on the party to embrace.
As Axios reported Tuesday, Paul Bledsoe, a former climate adviser in the Bill Clinton White House, stated in a report released this week that:
“Legitimately concerned about climate change, many top Democrats have simply lost a realistic perspective on domestic energy politics, and especially the major economic and environmental value of the shale oil and gas boom. All Democrats have serious approaches to climate change, but shale gas is key to decarbonization and economic growth in most places, so supporting its critical for Democrats to take purple districts.”
As EID has been saying for (literally) years when it comes to shale development, it is not an either/or decision choosing the environment or the economy. The choice has been made, and as Richard Cordray said, it really is a “win-win” for both.
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