The Department of Environmental Protection’s Climate Change Advisory Committee held its first meeting this week to begin the process of developing Pennsylvania’s first climate change action plan.

The Committee was established under the Pennsylvania Climate Change Act passed in July.

"Gov. Rendell believes Pennsylvania must have smart, effective policies that reduce global warming pollution and that protect our economy and environment," said Acting DEP Secretary John Hanger as he cited the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act of 2004, as well as the recently enacted $650 million Alternative Energy Investment Fund and the Biofuels In-State Development Act.

"These measures were made possible with the support of the General Assembly and have helped us make progress in boosting the supply of cleaner and zero-emission sources of electricity, as well as transportation fuels that are produced at home and are better for the environment—accomplishments that will greatly inform our deliberations and the work of this Committee.

"The task now is to build on these policies and identify new ideas that reduce Pennsylvania's greenhouse gas emissions and protect our economy. That includes carbon capture and sequestration—an issue on which the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has led—and the tremendous benefits energy efficiency and conservation can produce. House Bill 2200 (George-D-Clearfield), now awaiting action in the Senate, can produce those benefits and make Pennsylvania a leader on electricity conservation."

Act 70 establishes a 21-member advisory committee that is charged with advising DEP on implementing the law, creating a report on potential climate change impacts and economic opportunities for the commonwealth, and developing an action plan to implement cost-effective strategies to reduce or offset the state's greenhouse gas emissions.

The state action plan will be renewed every three years.

The Committee will also help DEP compile an annual inventory of the sources and amounts of global-warming pollution generated within the state. (See: PEC Develops Climate Change Roadmap, Greenhouse Gas Inventory)

The Committee is comprised of six members appointed by the Governor, six by the Senate and six by the House of Representatives. The secretaries of the departments of Conservation and Natural Resources and Community and Economic Development and the chair of the Public Utility Commission are ex-officio voting members of the committee.

The PA Climate Change Act also will provide a means by which businesses and industries can voluntarily track greenhouse gas emissions, emissions reductions and offsets through a registry. The registry may provide economic benefits should emissions credit-trading protocols be implemented.

"The Climate Change Act sets in motion an in-depth process of studying and benchmarking current sources of greenhouse gas pollution, then creating an action plan to reduce those emissions through cost-effective strategies for businesses and consumers," said Acting Secretary Hanger. "This plan will helps us to create new economic opportunities by advancing technologies like cellulosic ethanol, solar, wind, methane capture, geothermal and carbon capture and sequestration that hold tremendous potential for Pennsylvania's industries."

Addressing the threats of climate change is an opportunity, Acting Secretary Hanger said, but the state should not ignore the huge costs of inaction.

"So much of the world around us is dependent on a stable climate," said Acting Secretary Hanger. "As the effects of climate change increase, industries like agriculture and tourism could suffer, infrastructure systems may fail, ecosystems will face an increasing number of invasive species, and regions will be exposed to new diseases that may threaten the public health. We're looking to come up with the best thinking and the best approaches to solving this pressing problem."

In a related action, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will hold an informational meeting September 24 on DCNR’s Carbon Management Plan. (See DCNR Carbon Management Advisory Group)

For more information, visit the Climate Change Advisory Committee webpage.

9/5/2008