BRYN MAWR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Aqua America, Inc. (NYSE: WTR) Chairman and CEO Nicholas DeBenedictis
said today that "Investment in energy infrastructure will enable
Pennsylvania to play a key role in the energy and economic development
that will assure a vibrant economic future for our country. We live in
an energy-rich state and with smart and prudent infrastructure
investment, we can assure a healthy economic future that includes, among
other things, energy independence and living-wage jobs for residents
throughout the Commonwealth."
His remarks were made today at a symposium in Philadelphia that
addressed the future economic impact of pension funding and energy
development sponsored by Temple University's Center on Regional Politics.
DeBenedictis said, "The Commonwealth has always been a rich source of
energy for the world. In the days of William Penn our rich abundance of
trees and timber used for building and burning were center stage. Then
came coal, with the first commercially mined load of anthracite shipped
down the Susquehanna River in the early 1800s. And although not well
known, in 1859, the very first US oil well was drilled, not in Texas,
not in California - but in Pennsylvania. This is where companies like
Pennzoil and Quaker State got their start and their names."
DeBenedictis said today, Pennsylvania and other states have the
opportunity to take advantage of the natural gas bounty made possible
through new technology for shale drilling. "The natural gas industry
will become the biggest economic driver in Pennsylvania since the
heydays of coal and steel, and along with it will come a bounty of
energy careers and jobs.
"Pennsylvania is literally sitting on massive amounts of natural gas. If
managed correctly, we have the opportunity to renew the energy industry
in the Commonwealth and provide clean-burning, environmentally friendly
fuel that can play a significant role in reducing our nation's
dependence on foreign oil," said DeBenedictis, whose company has already
made a commitment to turning over much of its vehicle fleet to
compressed natural gas (CNG).
DeBenedictis said he is very impressed with the Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection's work in creating regulations and an
enforcement team to ensure that the Marcellus Shale industry is managed
correctly. "When it comes to the environment, you don't get many second
chances. Today, we have the opportunity to show the world how to use
this land in a way that is good for people, the economy and the earth,
unlike a century or more ago when many coal companies grabbed the coal
and left the land in worse shape than they found it."
Aqua America is one of the largest U.S.-based, publicly-traded water
utilities and serves almost 3 million residents in Pennsylvania,
Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio,
Texas and Virginia. Aqua America is listed on the New York Stock
Exchange under the ticker symbol WTR. Visit www.aquaamerica.com
for more information.
WTRG
Aqua America, Inc.
Donna Alston
Manager, Communications
610-645-1095
484-368-4720
dpalston@aquaamerica.com
Source: Aqua America, Inc.
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