Former Western PA Congressman Takes Job With Firm Promoting Gas Industry

A week after a government reform group published a report called “Fracking and the Revolving Door in Pennsylvania” the Associated Press is reporting former western PA congressman Mark Critz has taken a job with a consulting firm that works to promote the gas industry.
Critz, a Democrat, lost his seat to Republican Keith Rothfus last November, after the district was redrawn.
While running for office last fall, Critz told Pittsburgh public radio station WESA he opposes the EPA’s air quality regulations for coal fired power plants.
The AP reports that Critz will now be working for a firm called EIS Solutions, which promotes natural gas drilling.

Critz co-chaired the Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Caucus while in Congress, a seat he won in a May 2010 special election to replace his mentor and former boss, U.S. Rep. John Murtha, who died in office.
Critz says he’ll work to “grow our economy and meet our energy needs” while “working to make sure that our region develops these resources in a safe, responsible manner.”

The report by the Public Accountability Initiative noted that the past three governors of Pennsylvania have also had ties to the gas industry.
 

Editor's Picks