Republican gubernatorial candidate Jake Corman talks energy and gas taxes in Carnegie

Pennsylvania state Senator and candidate for governor Jake Corman visited Bob’s Diner in Carnegie Thursday to meet and greet potential voters.

The diner in the former mill town and Pittsburgh suburb is a well-known political stop for Pennsylvania candidates. Bob’s was full with a hungry lunch crowd, and Corman, a Republican from Centre County, introduced himself to dozens of diners, and spoke about his background and well-trotted campaign topics, but focused most conversations on gas prices and energy policy.

Corman visited Washington County before arriving by campaign bus to Carnegie. In an interview with the Tribune-Review, he said that basically everyone he spoke with in Washington County worked in the energy sector.

“Energy is a big issue here in Southwestern Pennsylvania,” said Corman. “And people are really concerned with gas prices right now.”

Corman said he has a plan to lower gas prices by instituting a partial gas tax holiday through the end of 2022. He said he supports efforts to provide a federal gas tax holiday, which would save consumers 18 cents a gallon, and he wants to see Pennsylvania legislators reduce the state gas tax by 50% through the end of the year.

He is proposing using federal covid funding to cover state police payments that are currently being siphoned from the state’s Motor Vehicle Fund. Corman said that would allow the state the wiggle room to reduce the gas tax temporarily.

“Any relief we can do, we should,” said Corman.

Pennsylvania has the second highest state gas tax in America, at about 59 cents per gallon. It was last raised in 2014, after lawmakers, including Corman, voted to increase it to cover infrastructure and public transit funding deficits.

Corman said he supported raising the tax back then because the state was “facing an emergency” at the time, noting the state led the nation in structurally deficient bridges. He said now the state has the opportunity to provide temporary financial relief to drivers.

If elected governor, Corman said he would focus on “embracing the energy economy,” including supporting building pipelines and facilities that would convert natural gas into gasoline for vehicles.

He touted the economic incentives and subsidies the state legislature has passed over the years to support development of petrochemical facilities, like Beaver County’s cracker plant, that refine natural gas into different products. He said he would continue those efforts as governor, but said financial subsidies from the state must coincide with development that produces jobs.

Pennsylvania is one of the leading producers of natural gas in America, which has led to economic benefits in some communities like Washington County, but also has environmental concerns like large emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Corman said natural gas development is better done domestically, and that failing to do so would allow development to occur internatilly, where he said environmental standards are less strict.

He opposes Gov. Tom Wolf’s efforts to enter Pennsylvania into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and called it a “terrible idea.” Corman said he believes it will raise energy prices and cost jobs, and that the state should only be joining pacts with other states that produce energy, like Ohio and West Virginia. He is currently supportive of efforts to block Wolf from entering RGGI and said if elected he would pull Pennsylvania out of the initiative “on day one.”

Corman’s focus on gas prices and energy policies saw some support among customers at Bob’s Diner.

He spoke at length to two diners who said gas prices were a big motivator for them for voting in the upcoming May primary election. A diner who identified himself as John said he is a registered Republican who plans to vote in May. He said he would like to see America produce more oil domestically.

“The gas stuff is really driving me crazy,” said John. “I have a plumber friend, and he has had to raise his prices since his gas budget has grown.”