I want to take a moment to applaud the contributions of a group we often take for granted — our Pennsylvania natural gas and oil workers.

The over 90,000 hardworking Pennsylvanians in the natural gas and oil industry play a vital role in making our everyday lives possible.

Natural gas and oil produced here in the Keystone State power every sector of the economy and impact every facet of our lives, from heating our homes and fueling transportation to supporting the manufacture of products we use every single day.

In addition, the industry supports more than 423,000 jobs, provides over $40 billion in wages, and contributes more than $75 billion to the Commonwealth’s economy. Since 2012, an estimated $2.7 billion has been generated from an impact tax on the industry that has been invested in our communities and our state’s infrastructure.

Affordable and efficient natural gas powers our state’s future and fuels opportunity. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the contributions of our energy workforce.

We should keep this in mind and back policies that support our energy workers.

Tom Wright

Tyrone