Rep. Phyllis Mundy

Dec. 7, 2007

Good morning…

The Energy Independence Strategy is a commonsense plan that will proactively reduce energy costs for Pennsylvania consumers and businesses.

The concepts of reducing our dependence on foreign oil… conserving energy so there’s less demand to begin with… and boosting our regional and state economy with investments in new sources of energy are not a pipedream.

It is possible to meet those goals, but to do so, we need to act quickly.

It takes time to develop these programs and get them up and running, so delays will literally cost consumers thousands of dollars.

It is particularly important to act before the electricity rate caps come off in a few years.

We’ve seen in other states that once rate caps expire, electricity rates skyrocket.  No one will be exempt from the fall-out when rate caps expire in Pennsylvania.

It’s not just about a working family struggling to pay the bills at home… businesses, doctors, school districts, and everyone else will also pay more.

But it’s residents, I’m afraid, who will get hit the hardest because they cannot pass their higher electric costs on to someone else.

This package of bills will break us from our addiction to fossil fuels and other traditional forms of energy and allow us to embrace sustainable, affordable, alternative energy.

The Energy Independence Strategy would subsidize the alternative energy industry in Pennsylvania to help create clean, low-cost, renewable energy – and create an estimated 35-thousand jobs. As we build more alternative energy plants, the cost of alternative energy will come down.

Investing in these fledging businesses is a smart investment for Pennsylvania. We’ve already seen an impact in our local economy here in the northeast with new wind production and biofuels facilities.

We are at a turning point here in Pennsylvania… we can continue with the status quo, or we can be agents of change for the greater economic and environmental good of our state, both now and in the future.

My constituents deserve my best effort in this fight, and on their behalf, I am committed to working with my colleagues in the House from both sides of the aisle to move the Energy Independence Strategy through the General Assembly and to the governor’s desk.  Thank you.