Op-Ed Published by The Harrisburg Patriot-News
By John Walliser, Vice President for Legal and Governmental Affairs, Pennsylvania Environmental Council
After a flurry of action on legislation and considerable debate, we have seen serious progress over the past few months toward the adoption of renewable-energy strategies and climate-change legislation in Pennsylvania by the Senate and House.
But now it's time to take final action and get workable plans to the governor's desk.
With the state budget debate likely to come down to the wire on June 30, and elections looming, we face a critically short window to capitalize on this progress and move Pennsylvania toward a more sustainable and balanced energy future.
While the legislation itself differs, both the Senate, in Special Session Senate Bill 1, and the House, in Special Session House Bill 1, have passed comprehensive programs. Taken together, they would provide significant investment in renewable-energy technologies and businesses; incentives for consumers to purchase efficient appliances and hybrid vehicles; and further advance green building practices in Pennsylvania.
In addition to differences in scope, the respective legislation also differs on how these programs should be paid for and what the total amount of investment will be.
Add to this mix House Bill 2200, which passed the House and would help accomplish reductions in energy demand through a statewide conservation program -- including the deployment of smart meter technology to allow individual households and business to more effectively regulate their energy use and costs.
Energy efficiency and use reduction are the most immediate and cost-effective means for addressing energy supply concerns.
The General Assembly must now reconcile these legislative vehicles to meet its charge from Gov. Rendell in the Special Session on Energy, which calls for the adoption of a renewable and comprehensive energy policy that will generate considerable economic benefits for Pennsylvania, better ensure our ability to meet future energy needs while reducing demand, and ultimately save consumers money.
This win-win scenario for our state should include a dedicated funding source for energy conservation, efficiency and renewable source projects.
While the use of a general revenue bond will help us take advantage of near-term opportunities, secure, long-term funding is also needed to truly encourage sustainable-energy production. Doing so will signal to capital investment and related business interests that Pennsylvania is committed to advancing alternative and renewable energy opportunities.
In addition, since bond funding can only be used for capital projects, other critical program elements like research and education must also be funded. Pennsylvania needs to make as large an investment in these initiatives as possible to ensure we get the maximum benefits.
Any final energy policy should also include green building incentives and promote the nationally recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards. The LEED standards should be required for state-owned and publicly funded buildings, including new building or renovation efforts.
Pennsylvania was an early leader in introducing LEED standards to the marketplace, but we have been surpassed by other states that have adopted their use as public policy. Incentives should be extended to the private sector as well to encourage upgrades or retrofits of existing buildings and to provide certification and training to building professionals and contractors.
Adoption of a state renewable-energy policy goes hand-in-hand with advancing existing bipartisan legislation to develop a climate-change action plan for Pennsylvania.
Companion legislation -- Senate Bill 266 and House Bill 110-- have passed their respective chambers, but have not seen further action. This legislation will help shrink greenhouse-gas emissions in Pennsylvania; our state alone currently accounts for approximately 1 percent of worldwide emissions.
As the Pennsylvania Environmental Council has emphasized since the release of our stakeholder-driven Climate Change Roadmap report last year, climate change will have a significant impact to our economy and overall quality of life. Given that we are a major contributor to greenhouse-gas emissions on an international scale, it is incumbent on our state to begin to meaningfully address this challenge through already-demonstrated policies and practices.
There are encouraging signs that Pennsylvania is close to a landmark energy policy that will establish greater energy independence and achieve real economic and environmental returns for our state, right down to the personal level.
Now is not the time to seek the lowest common denominator among different proposals. The General Assembly must secure and support a comprehensive set of programs that will set Pennsylvania as a leader in alternative-energy development, energy efficiency and greenhouse-gas emissions.
Let's get on with it.