Jonathon Berman, jonathon.berman@sierraclub.org
HARRISBURG, PA. -- Today, Governor Tom Wolf signed HB 732 into law, giving dirty industries financial incentives and further encouraging the expansion of fracking. The law will provide over $690 million in tax credits over 26 years. As a result, petrochemical and fossil fuel companies are incentivized to ramp up operations, leading to more pollution and dirty infrastructure.
Today’s announcement comes just weeks after a grand jury report found pervasive problems within Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, including lax enforcement of commonsense environmental regulations and a cozy relationship with the fossil fuel industry.
In response, Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter Director Tom Torres released the following statement:
"This law is nothing but a handout to the polluting corporations that put their profits over our health and the environment. HB 732 further commits Pennsylvania to a climate-disrupting fossil fuel future while bringing dirty and destructive petrochemical infrastructure to more of our communities and wasting state resources. Attorney General Shapiro’s grand jury report should have been a wake-up call for Pennsylvania’s leadership. Unfortunately, many leaders in Harrisburg are ignoring it just like they’ve ignored the destruction fracking has caused to Pennsylvania’s communities, air, and water.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.