This 12 months has offered many challenges together with a struggle in Europe that’s uprooted the worldwide vitality market and left many feeling the affect of upper vitality costs triggered by this huge provide and demand imbalance. Whereas this occasion is happening hundreds of miles away, its impacts are being felt deeply by the individuals who stay and work proper right here in West Virginia.

Issues with record-high inflation, vitality prices, vitality reliability and local weather change are all prime of thoughts for a majority of West Virginians, based on GO-WV’s latest statewide survey outcomes. Fortunately for us, these obvious issues — whereas all essential — have one theme in widespread: they’re simply overcome by producing and utilizing the sources discovered beneath our ft.

Simply as pure gasoline’ elevated use within the U.S. energy sector dramatically decreased electricity-related emissions, that very same progress may be felt proper right here in West Virginia by constructing extra pure gasoline energy vegetation. Pure gas-fired energy vegetation right now set the usual for the way forward for energy technology by being cleaner, extra sturdy and extra environment friendly. Pondering long-term, these services are suitable with hydrogen mixing and carbon seize, which additional enhances the area’s financial and environmental targets.

Figuring out this, it’s unimaginable to see {that a} $3 billion, 1,800-megawatt pure gas-fired energy plant can be inbuilt Doddridge Nation. This one plant will present over 1,000 union development jobs, lots of of full-time jobs as soon as operational, will cut back emissions from coal-fired energy vegetation, and be cutting-edge, utilizing carbon seize to additional cut back emissions in West Virginia whereas supporting our economic system — a win-win for the Mountain State.

The identical goes for preserving vitality prices low for American shoppers. Unlocking West Virginia’s pure gasoline and oil robotically places downward stress on costs whereas shoring up provide to take care of around-the-clock energy. Figuring out this, it’s no marvel 81% of West Virginians voiced their assist for pure gasoline and oil drilling within the state and practically 8 in 10 assist insurance policies that enhance home drilling and the completion of pipeline initiatives to ease inflationary burdens, GO-WV polling reveals.

“We want vitality innovation — not elimination — to fulfill the baseload vitality calls for of our nation and our pals and allies the world over,” West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has repeated. Definitely, Sen. Manchin’s constituents agree we have to make investments extra within the applied sciences that assist produce vitality within the cleanest and most secure manner attainable.

Whereas some cities and states have made it their mission to ban pure gasoline hookups for brand spanking new properties and buildings, West Virginians imagine that innovation and tapping the sources discovered proper listed here are the true sustainable vitality options. In actual fact, seven in 10 West Virginians voiced assist for utilizing innovation over bans on the event and use of pure gasoline to drive additional emission discount.

As we emerge from a worldwide pandemic and grapple with the newest geopolitical occasions, it’s no shock our state is dealing with the nation’s most urgent points, together with inflation, vitality affordability, reliability, and cleaner air. West Virginians, like many others, perceive the significance of supporting extra pure gasoline and oil improvement as a result of whereas different nations may additionally produce these important vitality sources, nowhere comes near producing it as cleanly and effectively as we do right here at dwelling.

Trying to the longer term, GO-WV is proud to signify solutions-focused companies– each giant and small — in our quest to take a position and ship extra to the Mountain State’s economic system, communities, and atmosphere.

Charlie Burd is Govt Director of the Gasoline and Oil Affiliation of West Virginia.