From PennFuture (http://www.pennfuture.org):
In the next few weeks, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives may vote on a package of bills (HB 1100, 1102, 1106, and 1107), known as “Energize PA.” These bills, if they become law, will make it easier for the fossil fuel industry to pollute our air, land, and water.
Simply put, the goal of “Energize PA” is to increase government subsidies and other benefits for the natural gas industry at the expense of other cleaner choices. This package of bills would subsidize polluting businesses and roll-back environmental protections.
“Energize PA” is not a benefit for Pennsylvanians; it’s a handout to the fossil fuel industry that does the following at our expense:
- HB 1100: Gives the petrochemical industry the same billion-dollar subsidy provided to the Shell Cracker Plant in western PA to other large manufacturers that use Pennsylvania-resourced natural gas, but with weaker financial and labor requirements.
- HB 1102: Creates another subsidy for the natural gas industry but this time through local and municipal governments and creates a new government entity and a monetary fund that would promote the development of the natural gas and petrochemical industries.
- HB 1106: Requires that all environmental permits, general permits, and plan approvals submitted to the DEP are automatically approved if they take more than 30 days to issue, putting an unrealistic onus on our environmental agency and fast-tracking potentially environmentally harmful projects without technical and legal review.
- HB 1107: Establishes a new politicized government entity that would strip the permitting review and approval process from the experts at the Department of Environmental Protection.
Take action now at https://pennfuture.salsalabs.org/statereps_voteno_energizepa/index.html to tell your State Representative: “For the sake of our families, our health, and our environment, stop these giveaways to the natural gas and petrochemical industries!” This package is dangerous because it rewards these industries while exacerbating the climate crisis and increasing air pollution.
“Energize PA” will actively promote and subsidize the infrastructure necessary for the fossil fuel industry to flourish and continue to pollute in Pennsylvania for decades to come, all on our dime. We cannot stand by and allow the legislature to support these giveaways to the fossil fuel industry, putting at risk our environment, public health, and climate.
Tell your State Representative to vote NO on the “Energize PA” package.
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