Rep. Balderson Discusses Ohio’s Key Role in Energy

While Victor Davis Hanson recovers, his show goes on, and with a connection to Ohio.

In the latest episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” co-host Jack Fowler speaks with Rep. Troy Balderson, R-Ohio, on Ohio’s energy boom and the future of America’s energy industry.

Fowler explains that Balderson’s role as chairman of the House Energy Action Team makes him the “leading voice on energy policy for House Republicans.”

The Marcellus Shale Boom

The Marcellus Shale is a unit of sedimentary rock spanning from Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as well western New York and eastern Ohio, including Balderson’s district.

Balderson brought up the relevance of the Marcellus Shale going back to 2010, when the Obama administration was closing coal mines and plants, something the congressman noted “greatly impacted” southeast Appalachia.

When the Marcellus Shale industry began making its way into Ohio in 2010, Balderson explained, “it brought great pride to those communities” and “expanded from there.” This “boom” helped build up the local economies.

As Fowler chimed in, “Nobody would have thought of Ohio as a bastion of energy before this was discovered.”

Benefits of Energy

From Fowler’s perspective, it is “lost on the Left that with energy comes actual generated power and with power comes economic growth and with that comes an escape from poverty and oppression.”

“Cheap, accessible, reliable energy is atop of that list,” Fowler said.

Davos having just taken place when the interview was recorded, Fowler invited Balderson to offer a message on American energy for those attending the forum.

It’s more than “drill, baby drill.” There’s also an “AI boom that’s happening here,” Balderson offered, with central Ohio welcoming data centers, including Intel.

In response to demands for “clean energy,” Balderson reminded that “we’re giving them clean energy,” noting that natural gas is 98% carbon free.

Balderson spoke of a need to “change that narrative,” emphasizing how “we need 24/7 base load energy.” The congressman added that “natural gas has changed all that,” with nuclear energy also playing a role. This includes nuclear investment in Balderson’s district.

It’s not merely those at Davos who need to hear this. “You also have to talk to the constituencies and making sure that we provide them with clean, affordable energy, too,” Balderson argued.

The Role of American Energy

“If America could unleash its full potential when it comes to creating energy, what kind of a world would we be living in?” Fowler asked, “What kind of economy would we be realizing? And what would the benefits be of America unleashed for the rest of the world?”

The congressman argued the world is seeing energy benefits under the Trump administration.

“By unleashing this energy dominance that we could have is very empowering of what it can do,” Balderson responded, also pointing out the “low times” in southeastern Ohio from 2008 to 2010 when the Obama administration closed coal plants.

Balderson said one of Republicans’ priorities is “to make sure that we uplift these people to provide them the jobs.”

“Now with the energy coming back and the energy dominance coming back that we have here in this country and in the state of Ohio and with the 100 years of natural gas below our feet, we’re providing those jobs back to those folks,” Balderson shared.

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