By: David Spigelmyer, Marcellus Shale Coalition President

The Oct. 21 Post-Gazette editorial “An American Success Story,” is right — driven by innovation and a focus on safety, natural gas development is an “American success story” that’s creating sustained economic, environmental and national security benefits.

It’s encouraging that the PG editorial board has taken an objective and fact-based approach to recognizing these “indispensable” benefits, as the editorial states.

As we head into the winter season, and as states like California face self-induced rolling blackouts, we should all recognize the important role affordable and reliable energy plays for consumers, families, small businesses, schools and hospitals. Pennsylvania natural gas is our electricity grid’s backbone and workhorse.

Yet some politicians want to eliminate or ban certain energy forms and technologies like fracking that enable the production of clean-burning American natural gas. That’s bad politics and bad policy.

Like the Post-Gazette’s editorial board, however, Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly recognize that American natural gas must continue to move our country’s key priorities forward.

American natural gas isn’t and shouldn’t be a partisan issue.

Ask voters across the political spectrum — the manufacturers who are making a comeback, the tens of thousands of hardworking women and men in the energy industry, including highly skilled builds trades and union members — about what natural gas means to them, their families and our communities.

We’re confident that they’ll agree it’s an American success story that we’re all very proud of.