| LETTER TO THE EDITOR | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | ||
| Rep. Eugene DePasquale |
|
| |
| August 18, 2011 |
| ||
Dear Editor:
I applaud your article in Sunday’s Post-Gazette ("Corbett quietly turning off the lights on renewable energy, Aug .14") highlighting the Corbett administration's move to reverse the incredible progress Pennsylvania has made in becoming a national leader in clean energy development. By gutting state programs related to clean energy and even expressly forbidding state contracts that support clean energy supply, the Corbett administration puts at risk tens of thousands good, family-sustaining green jobs across the commonwealth.
Meanwhile, the Corbett administration refuses to even consider a tax on the extraction of natural gas and opened up state forests to drilling.
As a former Deputy Secretary in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and current state legislator who authored the Alternative Energy Act of 2008, I am greatly disturbed by this shift in policy. The economic benefits of investing in clean energy alternatives are obvious. This law gave Pennsylvania the tools to attract clean energy production and provide loans to help consumers pay for the installation of solar panels, geothermal units and other clean energy sources. This bill has already created thousands of jobs across the state.
John Hanger, the former Secretary of Department of Environmental Protection, stated clearly in the article, "It's very important that the state welcome all types of energy development, including wind, solar and biofuels." That is why in March 2010 I introduced the Clean Energy and Green Jobs Bill. This bill would require that 25 percent of Pennsylvania’s energy come from alternative energy by 2024. According to a January 2010 study, this extension of the 2004 Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act would create over 120,000 job hours, save consumers billions in energy costs and create a cleaner environment.
The research and data is clear: clean energy is vital for Pennsylvania’s future. It creates jobs, makes us more energy independent and makes our commonwealth a healthier place to live. We need an administration that is willing to invest in Pennsylvania’s future, building on the work of past governors, both republican and democratic, who have built a world-class clean energy economy here in Pennsylvania.
I urge Gov. Corbett to reconsider his stance on clean energy and not reverse more than a decade of national leadership in this vital sector at such a critical time for our state and country.