You could call them the “Butler County lubrication caucus.” In more than one sense they can be described as a well-oiled machine.

These GOP House veterans represent different portions of the county. They are:

n State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, newly appointed chairman of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee;

n Jim Marshall, R-14th, whose district encompasses much of Beaver County including the site of a new casino. He now chairs the Gaming and Oversight Committee; and

n Jeff Pyle, R-60th (Butler, Armstrong and Indiana counties) who now chairs the Liquor Control Committee.

Combined, they are fueled, financed and handicapped for genuine regional power politics.

In November, Metcalfe hinted he might be looking for a reassignment away from the Government Affairs Committee he’s chaired for eight years. Metcalfe was routinely criticized for delaying and quashing proposed redistricting legislation.

It’s noteworthy that redistricting happens on a 10-year cycle, which just ended. On the other hand, energy is just heating up — especially for the Marcellus Shale natural gas region of Western Pennsylvania, where a multibillion-dollar ethylene cracker plant is under construction and will be in operation soon in neighboring Beaver County.

Metcalfe now stands watch over a wealth-saturated nascent enterprise — one that’s been tapped for tax revenue by Gov. Tom Wolf and legislative Democrats who want more. Metcalfe isn’t likely to let that happen.

Likewise, Metcalfe’s associate Jeff Pyle, now chairs Liquor Control, from which the state has been squeezing every dollar of revenue that it can in the name of free enterprise — while blocking actual privatization of the state liquor monopoly.

Meanwhile, a virtual geographical monopoly is granted to Mount Airy Casino as it prepares to locate its western operations near the junction of Interstate 376 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, just west of Ellwood City. When Mount Airy Pittsburgh Casino Resort opens later this year, it will provide hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in gaming tax revenue and payroll. And the casino has exclusive rights, with no competition allowed in counties to the north, south or east of Beaver and Lawrence counties. Mount Airy now has exclusive rights not only to the intersection of I-376 and the Turnpike, but also to the intersections of Interstates 79 and 80 as well as I-79 and Route 422. A competing casino’s bid for a Mercer County location was denied because its proposed 15-mile buffer would have overlapped the Mount Airy buffer.

We anticipate Metcalfe, Pyle and Marshal will seat themselves on each other’s committees as they team up to pursue a common agenda. Pyle already has said he’ll be on Metcalfe’s Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. Watch for this trio of free-market Republicans to exploit three tightly regulated state monopolies.

That said, here is the issue confronting the electorate of Butler County: We elected these men to represent us, not to be our leaders. They are in Harrisburg to do our bidding rather than their own.

Will they exploit energy, liquor control and gambling in ways that sustain and improve our lives and status, or will they exploit these monopolies to improve their own position?

And ultimately, is it up to them, or is it up to us how they proceed?

When you get down to it, there’s nothing inherently wrong with well-oiled machinery. As long as it’s being operated responsibly by sober adults.