Letters: Keller’s misplaced priorities; PSSBC to host virtual 4-day conference
Keller’s misplaced priorities
Rep. Fred Keller recently issued statements criticizing President Biden’s energy policies. He attacked Biden for banning drilling on federal lands, which are mostly located in the western U. S. The President actually instituted a moratorium on new drilling until his administration can review the leases on our public lands because of low royalties oil and gas companies have been paying the government for decades. With the glut of natural gas on the market, why on earth does he want to drill for more gas out West? Perhaps Keller plans to run for Congress in Colorado.
Keller chided President Biden for canceling the Keystone XL pipeline. This controversial pipeline would carry dirty tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast where it would be exported around the world. Why is Keller advocating for a project that mostly benefits a Canadian oil company? Perhaps he plans to run for Congress in Alberta.
Keller also cried about President Biden rejoining the Paris climate accord. He reminds me of the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand. Whether Keller likes it or not, the rest of the world is moving ahead with efforts to address the climate crisis. Even major car companies like Ford and General motors recently announced many of their next generation vehicles will be electrified. Much of the electricity needed to recharge the vehicle batteries will be generated by natural gas produced in Keller’s own district. Perhaps Keller should have run for Congress in the previous century.
PSSBC to host virtual 4-day conference
Penn State Sports Business Conference is announcing two new keynote speakers — sports broadcaster Bob Costas and sportswriter Tom Verducci will kick off the conference at 7 p.m. March 1.
No stranger to the spotlight, both Costas and Verducci are co-hosts of the Sounds of Baseball on the MLB Network. With an immense amount of expertise from the Olympics to years of knowledge on baseball, we welcome you to come and participate as they take the stage.
Ticket sales are now available now and can be bought at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-penn-state-sports-business-conference-presented-by-pepsi-tickets-132140908013?aff=PressRelease. Tickets are going toward the program itself but also a new mentorship program. The conference implores all to join, as prior alumni will be incorporating exclusive access to a network of professionals, opportunities and giveaways for those who are interested.
Through the efforts of the students and faculty, PSSBC will host its first ever virtual four-day event. Partnering up with PepsiCo, Big Ten, MLB, and The Philadelphia 76’s, we plan to make this a seamless transition from in-person event to an online platform to follow COVID-19 guidelines.
A week’s worth of speakers, networking, mentorship program, and workshops will be taking place from March 1-5.
To learn more about the conference, keynotes, and other speakers, visit our Instagram page, LinkedIn, and website at: https://www.pennstatesbc.com/.
Shortsightedness from Benninghoff
Recently Kerry Benninghoff wrote an opinion piece about bringing back an economic recovery in Pennsylvania. However other than support for small businesses he does not offer any long-term vision. Instead he just criticizes the COVID vaccine rollout in Pennsylvania. We need action instead of partisan criticism. As a reality check, most states are having problems due to supply shortages.
I wrote a letter to Kerry asking him to champion renewable energy as a way to make Pennsylvania an economic powerhouse. This would require investment in vocational education to prepare our labor force and also investment in renewable energy companies through incentives. What did I hear back from Kerry? Nothing. Apparently he is satisfied with the status quo in Pennsylvania, which is a sluggish economy.
It’s ironic that Republicans have been fear mongering about Biden selling out to China, however Kerry is willing to cede to China leadership in renewable energy. This leadership will propel them to the dominant economic power in the world leaving America in the dust. Forbes cites a report by the Global Commission on the Geopolitics of Energy Transformation, “No country has put itself in a better position to become the world’s renewable energy superpower than China ... China has taken a lead in renewable energy and is now the world’s largest producer, exporter and installer of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles.”
Kerry’s shortsightedness represents a lack of leadership. We need new leaders with visions to make Pennsylvania great.