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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Bill
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State Rep. Greg Vitali |
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Vitali: House/Senate bipartisan coalition unveils global warming bill
Statewide groups endorse legislation, call for state action on climate change
HARRISBURG, Jan. 30 – State Rep. Greg Vitali, D-Delaware, introduced legislation today that would require Pennsylvania to take action on measuring and reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. Vitali, along with state Sen. Ted Erickson, R-Delaware/Chester, and more than a dozen House and Senate members, held a news conference announcing support of the measure. Erickson introduced a similar bill in the state Senate.
The bipartisan House/Senate coalition of lawmakers supporting Vitali and Erickson’s legislation gathered at the news conference to convey their concerns about climate change and the adverse impact it will have on Pennsylvania’s environment, health and economy.
“Climate change is the most important environmental problem facing our planet,” Vitali said. “Pennsylvania alone produces about 1 percent of the world’s greenhouse gasses, which is a significant contributor to global warming. So, in essence, Pennsylvania has a responsibility to do more as far as reducing its carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.”
Vitali said the state, despite its influence and contribution to global warming, has yet to develop a plan of action for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, something many other states have already done, including New York and New Jersey.
Vitali’s legislation (H.B. 110), which has 64 co-sponsors, including 10 Republicans, and Erickson’s bill (S.B. 265), which has 18 co-sponsors in the Senate, would require Pennsylvania to do four things: inventory the greenhouse gas emissions of various economic sectors in the state; create a voluntary greenhouse gas registry; develop and publish a global warming impact statement for Pennsylvania; and develop an action plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
Environmental advocates, including PennFuture, Sierra Club, Penn Environment, the Pennsylvania League of Conservation Voters and the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, also stood side by side with members of the legislature during the news conference to support the House and Senate legislation.
“Global warming is a real threat to our economy and our environment and unless we address it sooner rather than later the problem is just going to get worse,” said John Hanger, president and CEO of PennFuture. “The cost of inaction is rising. Pennsylvania still has an opportunity to find policies that will reduce carbon and greenhouse gas emissions yet build jobs and our economy. We can conserve energy and lower costs to consumers while creating new jobs. If we wait, we will lose those opportunities.”
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