Inside Harrisburg

by state Rep. Dan Frankel

New laws make Pa. a leader on energy independence

            The need for Pennsylvania and the United States to achieve energy independence and develop cleaner, alternative sources of energy has never been clearer. The price of oil has risen above $100 a barrel, and the price of gasoline has been above $4 a gallon for much of this year. National efforts to address these problems have largely stalled under the Bush-Cheney administration.

Fortunately, there is also good news. With my support and the leadership of House Democrats and Gov. Rendell, we now have new laws that make Pennsylvania a leader in energy independence. Instead of a "gold rush," there is a "green rush" in alternative energy because of high prices, and Pennsylvania is now in a great position to capitalize on it.

Every year, Pennsylvania residents and businesses send $30 billion out of state just to buy gas and other liquid fuels. That's about $2,400 per person. Now we will be keeping more of that money here, creating jobs, reining in energy prices and helping the environment.

Already, the state's current energy investment programs have created more than 2,500 jobs. But funding has been limited and the state was only able to support 10 percent of requests, losing out on at least $100 million in potential investments every year.

Pennsylvania's new Energy Independence Fund will invest $650 million in a mix of commercial and consumer efforts designed to help large companies, small businesses and homeowners take advantage of alternative energy technology.

The new state budget package also includes funding for the nation’s first standards for harnessing cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel as motor fuels, with the potential to derive much of the fuel from non-food sources such as switchgrass, agricultural wastes, waste grease and algae. And the high price of oil wasn't the only reason to act – electric rate caps are set to end in less than three years.

The budget package also includes "green building" legislation that will help to fund environmentally friendly construction and renovation in Pennsylvania. Energy conservation is another crucial way that we can reduce our dependence on foreign energy as well as pollution.

Projects under the new fund will range from investments in cutting-edge research to energy-saving weatherization efforts and tax credits for alternative energy products and programs, including help for homeowners and small businesses to install solar panels. To be among the first to know when the applications are available, just call my office or sign up at my Web site – www.pahouse.com/Frankel. I normally limit these alerts to two or three per month at most.

           Constituents in the 23rd Legislative District with state-related concerns or questions may call Rep. Dan Frankel’s office at 412-422-1774, visit the office at 4225 Murray Ave., or send him e-mail through his Web site, www.pahouse.com/Frankel.

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