White to seek re-election
INDIANA — State Sen. Don White, R-41st, is seeking re-election to the state Senate.
White said economic redevelopment is a top priority and will continue to be one of his primary objectives.
“Promoting job growth, restraining the cost of health care, fighting the current drug epidemic and providing meaningful property tax relief will remain my primary goals,” the senator said in his news release this morning.
His district includes these municipalities in Butler County: Allegheny, Buffalo, Clearfield, Clinton, Concord, Donegal, Fairview, Jefferson, Middlesex, Oakland, Parker, Summit, Venango, Washington and Winfield townships, as well as Bruin, Cherry Valley, Chicora, East Butler, Eau Claire, Fairview, Karns City, Petrolia and Saxonburg boroughs.
It also includes all of Armstrong and Indiana counties and parts of Westmoreland County.
White cited Marcellus Shale natural gas as playing a significant impact on the regional economy, but said the marketplace has led to the shedding of jobs.
“While many of our communities have experienced significant and positive economic benefit as a result of this natural resource, we now face an issue of overproduction that prohibits this wealth of energy to be efficiently moved to market,” he said.
“One of my top priorities is to increase natural gas access to our more rural communities. We have a cheap and clean source of energy right beneath our feet, but many constituents I represent cannot use it for residential or business purposes. This must change.”
White said another major concern of his is the EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan regulations on the coal industry.
“If done incorrectly, these plans will further cripple our ability to produce energy from our abundant coal reserves,” he said.
Infrastructure is a key to driving economic development, said White, who served on the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Board.
He said the state’s infrastructure has advanced dramatically to help create a better environment for economic growth and a strong quality of life, but said the state must continue to be aggressive to bring in new businesses.
In addition to economic development, White also said he is eager to attack the drug epidemic in the state.
“My heart breaks over the constant news reports and stories of families being torn apart by drug addiction,” he said. “Our families are our most precious resource, and we must do more to prevent drug addiction from destroying them.”
He also said he will continue the fight to enact Senate Bill 76 — the Property Tax Independence Act.
“The property burden tax is the most significant frustration I have faced since taking office,” he said.
White was born in Kittanning and has lived in Indiana most of his life. He graduated from Juniata College in 1972 before he enlisted in the U.S. Army until 1975.
He has been in office since 2001.
