Energy. It’s more than just Pennsylvania’s legacy. As the 3rd largest energy producer in the U.S., energy remains important to our state’s economy and way of life. But as the 3rd largest emitter of CO2 in the nation, and with abandoned mine lands and damaged streams, we recognize the challenges associated with energy production.
PEC’s Energy and Climate work focuses on achieving deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, advancing a clean energy economy in the state, and reducing the impacts of historic and present energy extraction.
Emerging thinking is focusing on the idea of deep decarbonization - a pathway to the end goal of eliminating carbon emissions altogether.
Emerging thinking is focusing on the idea of deep decarbonization - a pathway to the end goal of eliminating carbon emissions altogether.
Natural gas burns cleaner than coal, but fugitive emissions undermine its potential as a lower-carbon energy alternative. It's time to change that.
Shale gas has considerable economic significance, along with equal potential for irreparable damage to the natural resources of our Commonwealth.
Here’s what we already knew about methane: It’s the primary component of natural gas. It’s much more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. And a significant amount of it is escaping into the atmosphere as a result of...
As 2019 comes to an end, and more than a year since the release of the 4th National Climate Assessment, it remains clear that the federal government has abdicated responsibility for even trying to slow the accelerating march of climate...
Back in January, PEC published a list of legislative and regulatory recommendations for cutting greenhouse gas emissions from Pennsylvania’s electricity sector. Since then, the governor and legislative leaders have embraced one of the report’s key ideas: putting a price on...
An executive order signed by Governor Tom Wolf last week initiates the rulemaking process whereby Pennsylvania will join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multi-state effort to cut carbon emissions using market-based mechanisms. Policy expert Franz Litz, one of...
Senate Bill 790, which PEC has opposed in the current legislative session, was amended in the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee this week to remove one problematic provision relating to road spreading of produced brine water. However, the remainder...
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today presented a draft rule to cut emissions of methane to the state’s Environmental Quality Board (EQB), kickstarting a rulemaking process that seeks to address climate impacts from the natural gas industry. The...
John Walliser, PEC Senior VP for Legal & Government Affairs, gave the following testimony at a state House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee hearing on October 28, 2019. To download the testimony as a PDF, click here. Introduction Good morning...