FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 24, 2024
Contact: Josh Raulerson
Phone: 412-481-9400
Email: [email protected]
Pennsylvania Environmental Council Supports Landmark Clean Energy Legislation
Pittsburgh — The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) voiced strong support for legislation to significantly strengthen and modernize Pennsylvania’s energy portfolio standards at today’s hearing before the state House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee.
Testifying in favor of House Bill 2277, which would enact Governor Shapiro’s PRESS proposal, PEC Senior Vice President John Walliser urged committee members to seize the opportunity to lead on clean energy by prioritizing renewable and non-emitting sources.
“The sooner we start implementing policies to [phase out greenhouse gas emissions], the greater the benefits we can realize from an environmental, economic, and public health and safety standpoint,” Walliser told the committee. “The costs of inaction are significant and already being felt in extreme weather events and missed economic opportunities. The status quo is not a solution.”
The Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS) would deliver a much-needed update, long advocated by PEC, to the Commonwealth’s 2004 Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS). Under the legislation, at least 35% of electricity consumed in Pennsylvania would come from zero emission sources by 2035, and another 15% from low emission sources.
In addition to cutting emissions, requiring utilities to purchase more of their electricity from low- or zero-carbon sources will enhance Pennsylvania’s economic competitiveness and fortify its status as the nation’s largest exporter of electricity. In the two decades since AEPS was enacted, Walliser noted, other states within the PJM Interconnection region have adopted their own standards, similar or even more stringent than those proposed in the PRESS legislation.
“Why does this matter?” Walliser asked. “Because if other states in PJM have already set clear thresholds for clean energy procurement, our electrons will not compete unless we expand clean generation.”
While renewables currently hold the greatest potential for cost-effective decarbonization, Walliser acknowledged the importance of other innovative technologies including advanced nuclear and geothermal energy, as well as the role of energy storage in ensuring reliability. The PRESS legislation, he said, will create growth opportunities for Pennsylvania companies at the forefront of such innovation and, combined with unprecedented federal infrastructure investments, position the Commonwealth for success in the clean energy transition.
H.B. 2277 is part of a package of bills proposed by Governor Josh Shapiro to reduce Pennsylvania’s carbon emissions while creating jobs and protecting consumers from rising costs. As a member of the Governor’s RGGI Work Group, throughout 2023 Walliser worked alongside representatives from industry, labor, consumer protection, and environmental interests to craft recommendations for decarbonizing power generation. Those discussions laid the groundwork for Governor Shapiro’s other major energy initiative, PACER, which would establish Pennsylvania’s own cap-and-invest carbon trading program through the Department of Environmental Protection.
While Work Group members brought their own perspectives and commitments to the table, Walliser said there was universal recognition of both the need to curb emissions and the opportunity to do so in ways that grow the economy and benefit all Pennsylvanians.
“This is not easy work, but this is the moment,” Walliser said. “This is, collectively, our moment.”
To read Walliser’s full testimony, click here.
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About PEC
Founded in 1970, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC)’s mission is to protect and restore the natural and built environments through innovation, collaboration, education, and advocacy. We work closely with government, business, nonprofit, and community stakeholders to advance our shared goals in energy and climate policy, trail development and outdoor recreation, watershed protection and restoration, reforestation, and conservation-focused economic development. PEC is active throughout Commonwealth, with regional offices in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, State College, and Dallas, PA. Learn more at www.pecpa.org.