Contact: Anthony Campisi
Anthony@WalnutLaneStrategies.com
(732) 266-8221
CVPA Lauds Shapiro on Strong Clean Energy Standards Proposal
CVPA urges caution with any RGGI replacement plan
Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Executive Director Molly Parzen issued the following statement in response to Governor Shapiro’s announcement of a new Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard:
We applaud Governor Shapiro for his announcement today of a strong Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard that would put Pennsylvania back in the game to lead on clean energy. This proposal fulfills a critical campaign promise and will help Pennsylvania leverage billions of dollars of federal investment through President Biden’s affordable clean energy law to help families lower their energy bills while creating union jobs.
Passing this legislation is essential to ensure that Pennsylvania is able to successfully compete for the clean energy jobs of the future. We must not lose momentum as other states and nations lead in growing clean energy industries like wind and solar. We’re calling on swift action from the legislature to make this proposal a reality.
An expanded renewable energy standard is particularly critical to seize the momentum generated by President Biden’s affordable clean energy law and will ensure that Pennsylvania is able to leverage its fair share of federal funding to create union jobs installing solar panels, building wind turbines and upgrading our electric grid.
Smart climate and energy policies also need to include protections for working and low-income families while providing cleaner air for environmental justice communities that suffer from our legacy of dirty fossil fuels — particularly our children, seniors, and those with asthma and heart conditions.
At the same time, we must closely examine Governor Shapiro’s new cap-and-invest initiative. We know that the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is a key tool to help Pennsylvania meet President Biden’s climate goals. We also know that Pennsylvania’s participation in a cap-and-invest program, coupled with a strong clean energy standard, will speed our clean energy transition while creating jobs and making the air we breathe cleaner.
RGGI has a 15-year track record of reducing carbon pollution while investing billions of dollars in expanded clean energy. Any new plan that is adopted must provide at least the same benefits to the environment and to our communities as RGGI.
Rather than reinventing the wheel, we believe Pennsylvania should adopt tested solutions now that clean our air, address environmental justice issues and create union jobs.
###