HB 80 bill means green jobs and cleaner energy for Pennsylvania

(03/07/2009)

Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture) has praised the House Environmental and Energy Committee for passing HB 80, the Green Jobs/Clean Energy Bill, which will increase Pennsylvania’s supply of solar and wind energy, and move the state into the forefront in significantly reducing carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants.

“This bill is another great leap forward in our drive to make energy cleaner and safer,” said Jan Jarrett, president and CEO of PennFuture. “It will more than double the amount of wind power produced, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 13 million tons a year, and increase the amount of solar power by a factor of six. That means 438,000 homes in Pennsylvania could be powered by the sun. And the requirements that all Pennsylvania electric utilities buy increasing amounts of clean energy would extend to 2026.

“And this bill, if passed, will also propel Pennsylvania into a national and international leadership position in the capture and geologic storage of carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants that cause global warming,” continued Jarrett. “It would require that increasing percentages of energy come from coal-fired plants that don’t release global warming pollution.

“This bill means great green jobs and cleaner energy for all Pennsylvanians,” said Jarrett. “And our elected officials should be commended for their vigorous support of the bill. Representatives Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) and Chris Ross (R-Chester), the sponsors of the legislation, once again exercised their unparalleled understanding of the problems of dirty energy, and their vision for a better way. And Rep. Bud George, (D-Clearfield), Chair of the Environmental and Energy Committee, recognizing global warming as the emergency it is and the vital need for green jobs, was instrumental in moving this bill forward without delay.

“A companion bill, SB92, sponsored by Senator Edwin Erickson (R-Delaware and Chester), is currently in the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy,” continued Jarrett. “We urge the Senate Committee and the House and Senate to move this urgently needed legislation to the governor’s desk without delay.”

PennFuture also praised the Committee for passing the historic electronic waste recycling bill, by at 15 – 10 margin. “This bill will, for the first time, require that televisions and computers be recycled and disposed of safely, fixing a growing problem here in Pennsylvania,” said Jarrett. “If such a law had been in place this spring, the debacle in Allegheny County – in which a vendor claiming to recycle was actually engaged in dumping the toxic waste in China and Africa – would never have happened. We urge the legislature to move this legislation as quickly as possible, to avoid other such calamities.”

PennFuture is a statewide public interest membership organization, founded in 1998. PennFuture's activities include litigating cases before regulatory bodies and in local, state and federal courts, advocating and advancing legislative action on a state and federal level, public education and assisting citizens in public advocacy.

Working from the premise that “Every environmental victory grows the economy,” PennFuture has successfully advocated for landmark environmental legislation, including passage of the largest-ever environmental funding bond, public investment in green energy and energy savings programs, passage of the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act, adoption of the Clean Vehicles Program and adoption of a regulation that protects Pennsylvania’s babies by restricting mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants.

Related categories:  Electronic and electrical waste recycling   Environmental legislation   Solar power and photovoltaics   Wind power