The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, chaired by Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) and Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne) held a second Committee hearing Thursday to discuss the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to cut carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants.

Click Here to watch a video of the hearing.

In June, the EPA proposed its Clean Energy Policy as part of President Barack Obama’s Action Plan addressing climate change.

The public hearing, held on the campus of Wilkes University, featured testimony from the Energy Center for Enterprise and the Environment at Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, also known as PennFuture; the Natural Resources Defense Council; the Electric Power Generation Association; PPL Generation’s Eastern Fossil and Hydro division, as well as representatives from consulting and consumer alliance organizations.

The hearing marked the second time state legislators addressed the proposed federal policy, which has been met with skepticism from Pennsylvania’s coal industry and business community who argue that the proposal would increase electric prices and raise the cost of doing business in the state. 

Subsequently, environmentalists, including those supporting the solar, wind and energy efficiency sectors, heralded the Obama administration’s proposal.

"As legislators, we have an obligation to the environment, but we also have an obligation to the consumer,” Sen. Yaw said.  “We have to balance the needs of both as we examine a complex issue like this one, which is why I think it is imperative for this committee to look at the short and long-term effects of this federal proposal on our environment and overall economy.”

“I applaud our committee chair, Sen. Gene Yaw, for getting the committee well out in front of this issue and I thank him for holding this public hearing in my district, in Wilkes-Barre,” Sen. Yudichak said. “It is important for all of our committee members to continue to have open discussions – like we had here today – about the EPA proposal and what it will mean for Pennsylvania’s environment, economy, and energy industry.”

Sen. Yudichak said that significant reductions of carbon emissions are scheduled to begin in 2020; while a state plan is due to the EPA in June 2016.

“It is imperative that the Department of Environmental Protection begins to develop a plan that benefits Pennsylvania’s public health, environmental health and climate,” Sen. Yudichak said. “Any plan that we devise before the June 2016 deadline must also protect ratepayers from higher energy prices and stimulate, not disrupt our local and state economy.”

Jake Smeltz, testifying on behalf of the Electric Power Generation Association, noted that EPA’s emission reduction goals appear to be very aggressive, resulting in unintended consequences with the bulk power system. 

Smeltz echoed a U.S. Chamber of Commerce figure noting the new plan could potentially cost as many as 442,000 jobs in 2022 and put 224,000 Americans out of work, on average, annually. 

Smeltz added that the federal plan should take a state-specific approach, rather than a one-size fits all model and allow Pennsylvania to work collaboratively with other states, and the opportunity to enter into a regional compliance plan.

Christina Simeone, Director of the PennFuture Energy Center, a non-profit, membership-based environmental advocacy organization focusing on land, air, water and energy issues, testified that historically, and over the long-term, the United States has been the largest greenhouse gas emitter, eclipsed only recently by China. 

“Doing nothing or promoting continual delay should not be an option,” Simeone said.  “Pennsylvanians will continue to spend more and more money on climate change related damages, the eventual cost of addressing climate change will increase and lead to severe future economic disruptions, and the impacted industries before you today will have more severe requirements and less flexibility.”

House Bill 2354 (Snyder-D-Fayette) is currently pending in the Senate Environmental Committee that would require the Department of Environmental Protection to develop a state-specific carbon reduction plan. The legislation also requires the plan to be submitted and approved by both chambers of the state legislature prior to being formally submitted to the EPA.

Click Here for a summary and video of the first Committee hearing.

For copies of the written testimony and to watch a video of the hearing, visit the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee webpage.

NewsClips:

Official: EPA Climate Plan Could Spike Electric Rates

State Board Rejects Student’s Petition To Limit Greenhouse Gases

Op-Ed: Fight Climate Change With Natural Gas

Editorial: Coal Jobs Disappear, Gas Jobs May Beckon

Editorial: Another Carbon Credit Scheme

Editorial: Recasting EPA, Devolving Power To The States

PA Ranks 3rd In Statewide Carbon Dioxide Emissions In 2011

8/25/2014