Letter to the Editor	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Rep. Greg Vitali                                      D-Delaware www.pahouse.com/vitali

Pennsylvania needs a climate change action plan

Global warming is the most serious environmental problem facing the planet. As such, it must be addressed by all levels of government. Pennsylvania, which produces a full 1 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases, must develop a comprehensive plan for reducing its emissions.

There are two bills poised for passage in the Pennsylvania General Assembly that provide the framework for developing such a plan: H.B. 110 (the Pennsylvania Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act), which I  introduced in February 2007, and S.B. 266 (the Pennsylvania Climate Change Act),  introduced by state Sen. Edwin Erickson (R-Delaware) in September 2007. Unfortunately, time is running out for the passage of these bills this term.

Both bills would do the following:

First, require Gov. Rendell to appoint a stakeholder group to advise the administration on the implementation of this legislation. This stakeholder group would be comprised of members of the scientific, business, environmental, sporting, faith-based and labor communities, as well as other interested parties.

Second, require the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with this stakeholder group, to prepare a report on the potential impacts of global warming on Pennsylvania, as well as the economic opportunities that addressing this problem would present.

Third, require DEP to conduct an annual inventory of GHG emitted in Pennsylvania, broken down by sector (i.e. industrial, residential, agricultural, etc). This inventory would allow the Commonwealth to establish a baseline and to track future GHG emissions.

Fourth, require DEP to establish a GHG registry. The registry would encourage businesses to reduce their GHG before being required by law to do so by providing an official location to record their reductions.

Finally, require DEP, in conjunction with the stakeholder group, to establish a greenhouse gas action plan. This action plan would set target GHG reduction goals and recommend policy options needed to reach those goals.

The Rendell administration has undoubtedly done internal planning with regard to climate change. The administration has also advanced programs such as the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (enacted in 2004), the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles program (enacted in 2006) and presently, its Energy Independence Strategy -- all of which would surely be part of a state greenhouse gas action plan.

What has been lacking is an official public discussion involving all interested parties (including the legislature) about what Pennsylvania’s greenhouse reduction goals should be and the best way to reach those goals. Either H.B. 110 or S.B. 266 would provide the framework for such a discussion.

These bills are at a critical juncture. Both have been approved by their respective chambers and are well-positioned for quick enactment into law. Both bills are on the negotiating table as House and Senate leaders cut their deals on the state budget and other legislation in the final weeks before the summer recess.

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Given the political difficulty of passing this legislation in the fall prior to the general election and the elimination of Senate session days after the election, failure to pass one of these two bills prior to the summer recess would effectively kill this legislation for the current term.

Global warming is too serious a problem to be put off until next year. Citizens should contact their state representatives and state senators and urge them to pass one of these bills now.

-- State Representative Greg Vitali (D-Delaware)

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