Politics & Government

Murphy Invites Ukraine Delegation to PA, Discusses Shale Gas Exploration

Murphy, who represents Upper St. Clair in the U.S. Congress, welcomed the Ukraine delegation to town on Monday.

U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair Township) hosted a welcome reception in Carnegie Borough on Monday for a delegation of Ukrainian dignitaries and elected officials.

Sergey Klyuiev, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament and the head of Ukraine's Parliamentary Committee for Relations with the United States—along with parliamentarians, ministers and public officials—joined Murphy and Carnegie Mayor Jack Kobistek for a welcome reception featuring food, discussion and traditional Ukrainian folk dancing at the St. Peter & St. Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church along Mansfield Boulevard.

Klyuiev and other Ukrainian leaders traveled to the region at the invitation of Murphy on a fact-finding mission to learn more about environmentally responsible shale gas exploration in southwestern Pennsylvania. Ukraine recently signed a $10-billion production agreement with Shell and has completed negotiations with Chevron on a second shale gas project. The deals are especially critical for Ukraine and the rest Europe, which have sought to reduce their dependence on foreign sources of energy. 

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Murphy, a founder of the Congressional Natural Gas Caucus, participated in meetings earlier on Monday with local business groups, environmental organizations and the delegation, including a roundtable discussion with members of the Marcellus Shale Chamber, a division of the Southpointe Chamber of Commerce devoted to shale-gas exploration and economic development issues.

"Ukraine is a country of rich cultural heritage that has also been blessed with vast shale resources," Murphy stated. "Now, the question is how our Ukrainian friends can develop these resources safely and responsibly in order to reduce their dependence on foreign energy providers. I am happy to welcome Mr. Klyuiev and the rest of the Ukrainian delegation as we work to develop solutions to the global energy imbalance and further strengthen the U.S.-Ukraine partnership."

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Klyuiev and the 10-member Ukrainian delegation learned more about the environmental and economic benefits of natural gas, including the fossil fuel's lower emissions and affordable cost. They also plan to travel to Washington, DC, and return to Ukraine later in the week.

"The first time we were here in the beginning of May, and then we agreed with (Murphy) to meet in his district to learn about shale gas," Klyuiev stated. "The key point why we arrived here was to learn about technology, about environmental problems."

Murphy worked to ensure that the delegation visited Carnegie, which has a vibrant local Ukrainian-American community, boasting two Ukrainian churches, a Ukrainian-American cultural museum and a Ukrainian social club. 

More than 75 local residents came out to greet the Ukrainian delegation and present them with traditional gifts of food and flower bouquets to commemorate the visit.


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