Emily Pomilio, emily.pomilio@sierraclub.org, (480) 286-0401
Tom Schuster, tom.schuster@sierraclub.org, (814) 915-4231
Harrisburgh, P.A. - The Pennsylvania House approved House Bill 2025 today, which would remove the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) legal ability to regulate climate-disrupting carbon dioxide pollution from any source within the Commonwealth. This would include preventing the implementation of the "cap-and-invest" program that allows participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) which is currently being developed. The bill now advances to the Senate.
Currently, Pennsylvania is the fourth largest emitter of energy-related carbon pollution in the country and power plants are the largest source of carbon emissions in the state. Scientific consensus dictates that we must cut greenhouse gases by half over the next decade and completely eliminate them by 2050 in order to have a chance of stabilizing our climate.
In response, Tom Schuster, Pennsylvania Clean Energy Program Director said:
“Quite bluntly, we are out of time to act to stabilize our climate. While we are very disappointed in the House vote today, we call upon the Senate to put the health, safety, and vitality of our communities, our children, and future generations above the short-term profits of polluters.
“In just the past week we’ve seen utilities and investors drop major pipeline projects and fracked gas infrastructure. Meanwhile the outlook for coal in this country continues to darken in the face of competition from cleaner, more efficient energy sources. This legislation reflects dangerous wishful thinking by legislators who think they can forestall necessary and ultimately inevitable changes to how we power our state. Joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative will not only reduce pollution from power plants, it will also help stimulate the clean energy economy and create thousands of local jobs.
“Ironically, many of the bill sponsors are supported by gas companies which has contributed to the decline of coal in the state. If these legislators were actually serious about protecting their communities they would be suggesting community transition packages, not ending health and climate benefiting pollution reduction programs.”
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.