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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Mike Gerber |
  
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Gerber comments on passage of alternative energy bill
HARRISBURG, July 4 – State Rep. Mike Gerber, D-Montgomery, released the following statement on House passage of his bill (H.B. 1202), a component of the $28.2 billion state budget package the General Assembly passed today:
"How fitting it is we passed this monumental energy independence legislation on Independence Day.
"These mandates will ensure Pennsylvania carries its weight in helping make America more energy independent, will result in our burning cleaner fuel, and will make Pennsylvania a leader in the emerging green energy economy.
"With fast-rising gas prices, Pennsylvanians could also benefit from affordable, homegrown, renewable fuel sources.
"I am particularly proud that Pennsylvania is now the only state that has a cellulosic-specific mandate and is the first state to respond to the federal legislation passed in December that calls for greater investment in cellulosic technologies."
The following is a description of Gerber's bill, which was approved by the House today and sent to the governor for his signature:
House Bill 1202 (Gerber) establishes per-gallon content requirements of biodiesel and cellulosic ethanol based on the levels of Pennsylvania production and the establishment of sufficient transportation and distribution infrastructure. This bill will hasten the shift to clean, renewable, domestically produced fuels that will create jobs in Pennsylvania and reduce our dependency on foreign sources of oil. The use of both biodiesel and cellulosic (not corn) ethanol will significantly decrease emissions of heat-trapping gases that contribute to global warming. The definition of "cellulosic ethanol" in H.B. 1202 references the definition in the Federal Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that requires a 60 percent reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from a baseline of conventional gasoline sold in 2005.
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