Making Pennsylvania a Model for Deep Decarbonization

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 24, 2017

Contact: Josh Raulerson, Director of Communications Phone: 412-481-9400
Email: [email protected]

 

Making Pennsylvania a Model for Deep Decarbonization

Climate Conference Brings Top Researchers & Experts to Pittsburgh in March

Pittsburgh– National speakers and Pennsylvania-based experts will discuss “deep decarbonization” of Pennsylvania’s electricity sector at an upcoming conference hosted by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC). “Achieving Deep Carbon Reductions: Paths for Pennsylvania’s Electricity Future” will be held March 15-16, 2017 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh.

“Deep decarbonization focuses on cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80% or greater by mid-century, which is in line with what the world’s top scientists recommend,” said Lindsay Baxter, Program Manager for Energy and Climate at PEC. “This conference will explore why such a target is important and how Pennsylvania might get there in a way that balances environmental, economic, and equity impacts.”

The conference will bring together practitioners from all sectors, including industry, higher education, government, and NGOs, to explore potential paths to decarbonizing the state’s power sector. Speakers will focus on four such paths: renewable energy, nuclear power, energy efficiency, and carbon capture and storage.

“Too often, discussions of climate protection have the unintended consequence of picking winners and losers and pitting different technologies and resources against one another,” PEC President and CEO Davitt Woodwell said. “Shifting the focus to deep decarbonization, meaning a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 80% by mid-century, allows the conversation to expand to include more potential solutions and technologies.

More information on the conference, as well as online registration, is available at www.pec-climate.org. Discounted pricing is available through February 8th.

Featured speakers include Dr. Julio Friedmann, a former DOE official currently with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Patrick McDonnell, Acting Secretary of the PA Department of Environmental Protection; Jessica Lovering of the Breakthrough Institute, an energy and environment think tank; Dr. Matthew McKinzie of the Natural Resources Defense Council; retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral David Titley, Ph.D., currently with the Penn State Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science; and Dr. Granger Morgan of Carnegie Mellon University and the NSF Center for Climate and Energy Decision Making.

The conference is supported by the Roy A. Hunt Foundation, the Sustainable Energy Fund, the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund, the Metropolitan Edison Sustainable Energy Fund, and the Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund, as well as a host of corporate and non-profit sponsors.

About the Pennsylvania Environmental Council

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council is a statewide organization that brings people, government, and business together to find real world solutions for environmental challenges. These solutions bring about sustainable communities, protect our water resources, and address energy and climate issues. PEC was founded in 1970 and serves the entire state through offices in Luzerne, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia.

For more information, visit www.pecpa.org. ###