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Vote 4 Energy rally coming to Washington fairgrounds over energy issues
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Energy industry groups plan to sponsor a Vote 4 Energy rally Friday at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Chartiers to encourage voters to consider domestic energy issues at the ballot box this year.
Though the event is private and by invitation only, it will not endorse specific candidates or positions, said Stephanie Catarino Wissman, executive director of the Associated Petroleum Industries of Pennsylvania, a division of the American Petroleum Institute. The group is sponsoring the rally in conjunction with the Tri-County Oil & Gas Expo and the Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association.
"This is absolutely not about a political party or candidate," she said. "It's to encourage folks to consider energy issues."
The rally will be the first of three such events aimed at local officials and voters in Pennsylvania.
The next rally will be in Harrisburg this summer, Ms. Catarino Wissman said, followed by a similar event in northeastern Pennsylvania later this year. Other Vote 4 Energy rallies are planned nationwide, she said.
The rallies are part of a grass-roots effort to engage voters about issues involving domestic energy production and local energy issues, such as drilling in the Marcellus Shale gas formation.
"It's designed to encourage voters -- all voters -- to make energy a voting issue," Ms. Catarino Wissman said. "A vote for energy is not a vote for a person or a party or even a philosophy. It will help promote the understanding that a vote for energy is a vote for America and its future."
The rally, which begins at 5:30 p.m., will open with remarks from national and local energy leaders, followed by a performance from country musician Darryl Worley.
Local leaders will also be invited to speak.
First Published May 17, 2012 5:27 am
