Prominent government, business, and labor leaders gather in Pittsburgh today to discuss the importance of investing in the energy and manufacturing industries as part of the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) 2012 Pennsylvania Energy and Manufacturing Summit.
Mike Mikus, Executive Director of the CEA Mid-Atlantic region, said this meeting will be similar to the Colorado and Gulf Coast Energy Summits, which were held in February and March.
“The whole purpose of this is to generate a discussion on public policy and the energy sector and what its real impacts are to manufacturing and to creating jobs here in Pennsylvania and across the United States,” Mikus said.
Pittsburgh became the city of choice for the summit because of the growth in the Marcellus Shale industry. As a result, Mikus said natural gas prices have fallen, creating a source of low-cost energy.
“You often see manufacturers always tend to locate close to energy sources because the closer you are to an energy source, the cheaper it is,” Mikus said.
Mikus said industry’s goal is to continue to grow within the United States. “Manufacturers now, because of this vast supply of energy here in America, are now rethinking their strategy and looking, rather than shipping jobs abroad, they’re looking to invest and expand here in America,” Mikus said.
The summit will be held at the IBEW Circuit Center from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. It is free and open to the public to attend, but registration is required.
