Burns votes to take on Russia, power up PA energy industry
Resolutions call for action to promote energy independence
Rep. Frank Burns March 31, 2022 | 9:43 AM
HARRISBURG, March 31 – In a move to power up the Pennsylvania economy and energy industry, state Rep. Franks Burns on Wednesday voted to send a powerful message to the bureaucrats in Washington and other states to put U.S. interests first – and take a stand against Russian aggression.
In a bipartisan move, Burns voted with Republicans and Democrats to call on the federal government to ban all imports of Russian oil and gas, while also urging politicians in New York and New Jersey to allow pipelines to cross their states – a win-win for the commonwealth’s natural gas industry and consumers throughout the northeast.
“Today I voted to not just stand up to Russia, but to take proactive steps to end our nation’s dependence on foreign natural gas,” Burns said. “Pennsylvania has an abundance of natural gas and it’s time that politicians in other states got out of the way and allow us to power up the U.S. energy industry.”
As a freethinker, Burns has crossed party lines before, and said he voted Wednesday on H.R. 187 and H.R. 189 because the legislation made sense – and would help the hardworking families of Pennsylvania.
“Pennsylvania is the second-largest natural gas producer in the U.S. and for us to unnecessarily import natural gas from other nations is shameful,” Burns said. “It’s time for politicians to get out of the way and flip the on switch to PA’s energy powerhouse. This would be a win-win for our domestic energy industry, the hardworking families who rely on those companies for jobs and for consumers across the nation.”
Burns has been a leader in calling on the U.S. to end its dependence on foreign energy, and earlier this year introduced legislation calling on the federal government to immediately restart construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.