Political Quotes

“Since coming to Congress, I have had the distinct honor to represent the Pennsylvania's oil region and the Allegheny National Forest. Among our many economic drivers in Pennsylvania, energy development played a critical historical role in Pennsylvania and the country and continues to be among our essential legacy industries in the Fifth Congressional District of Pennsylvania. While some of this energy production originally started with mining in the 18th century, the Pennsylvania oil rush in the mid-1800s changed America and has since had profound impacts on the world abroad. In the late 1850s, Edwin Drake, who later adopted the title of ``colonel,'' came to Titusville in search of oil deposits. Unsuccessful at first, he eventually made a breakthrough by drilling vertically through iron piping. In 1859, Drake drilled 70 feet down and finally struck oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania. The result was the world's first commercial oil well and the birth of the modern petroleum industry. Immediately after this innovation, the great oil rush began in Pennsylvania, attracting John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil, among others. Due to this important history, 700 square miles of the region were designated in 2004 as the Oil Region National Heritage Area, as recognized by the U.S. National Park Service.…”