We are impressed with the leadership U.S. Sen. David McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, is demonstrating on an issue whose importance our editorials frequently emphasize.

McCormick, in only his first year as a senator, organized an energy summit this past week that unveiled vital, private-sector investment in a broad variety of energy-related projects.

The investments include natural gas — a sector of energy development that we are fortunate to see create jobs for families and yield revenue for communities throughout our region. It also includes hydroelectric power — a renewable source of energy with a track record of reliability unmatched by other source of renewable energy that we, in past editorials, have noted is often neglected in conversations about energy, AI development and nuclear power.

“With clean and abundant Pennsylvania-produced natural gas, we can also continue to protect and enhance our environment while creating good-paying tech, building trades and energy jobs,” Marcellus Shale Coalition President Jim Welty said in a news release after the announcements. “This is a unifying issue, and we thank Senator McCormick and the Trump administration for taking action to ensure the nation’s growing AI-related power demands – and America’s ability to compete globally and win in this critical space – remains a top national priority. Commonsense permitting reforms that enable infrastructure development are necessary and will help ensure our industry can continue to safely deliver reliable, affordable and clean energy to power our AI future. We’re grateful to Senator McCormick and President Trump for their strong and continued leadership.”

We agree with the Marcellus Shale Coalition. We believe families in Lycoming County and the surrounding communities should appreciate McCormick’s efforts and the efforts of the White House to ensure our economy’s and society’s needs for affordable energy are met.