Comments of PennFuture Concerning the Draft Recommendations of the Governor s Energy Task ForceComments of Citizens for
Pennsylvania 's Future Concerning the July 2001 Draft Recommendations of the Governor's Energy Task Force
8/17/01
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PennFuture applauds the Governor's Energy Task Force for recognizing the importance of developing a state energy policy that promotes the overall quality of life in
Pennsylvania by respecting the economic, public health, and environmental considerations that are essential to our quality of life. PennFuture also appreciates the Task Force's recognition that the development of such a policy requires the participation of many constituencies and welcomes the opportunity to participate.
By acting now to develop a state energy policy,
Pennsylvania is again taking a leadership position among states to prepare for an energy future that supports
Pennsylvania as a wonderful place to live and work. But much work must be done.
Part III includes a summary of our specific recommendations:
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Pennsylvania state energy policy should:
- focus on where
Pennsylvania can make a difference.
- include specific goals and targets.
- recognize and utilize its roles as governor and as consumer.
- avoid rhetoric and internal contradictions.
- establish priorities.
-
Pennsylvania should adopt a specific goal that 10% of
Pennsylvania 's electric generation be supplied from renewable resources by 2010 and take concrete policy and consumer action to achieve that goal:
- adopt H.B. 1079 which would commit the Commonwealth to purchase electricity generated from renewable resources and provide grants in support of renewable energy.
- require all electricity suppliers to provide a portion of their supply from increasing amounts of renewable resources, achieving at least 10% of their electricity incrementally from renewable resources by 2010.
- state buildings throughout
Pennsylvania should buy at least 20% of their electricity from renewable resources by 2010.
- all savings that the Commonwealth gains as stranded costs are eliminated from its electric bills should be directed to buy renewable energy.
Pennsylvania should encourage all municipal consumers to do so as well.
-
Pennsylvania should adopt a clear goal of developing 1,000 MW of wind generation in
Pennsylvania by 2010, and adopt policies and programs that directly support that goal.
- adopt H.B. 1078, the Wind Energy Enterprise Act, which provides grants for infrastructure improvements, sales tax exemptions and investment tax credits for wind generation.
- Buy
Pennsylvania wind as a consumer, support marketing and public education programs that encourage others to do so, and promote and enforce market rules that support interconnection or otherwise eliminate discrimination against renewable and intermittent generation.
- Promote maximum cost-effective demand management programs:
- require utilities to provide efficiency and conservation programs.
- adopt H.B. 1077, which would provide tax incentives and other support for improved building energy efficiency.
- implement maximum cost-effective efficiency and conservation practices in the Commonwealth's own energy use.
- require all electric distribution companies to provide time-of-use metering and appliance control technologies that would enable all
Pennsylvania consumers to optimize demand side response programs.
- install and utilize demand side response capabilities in all state buildings.
- Promote distributed generation by requiring uniform interconnection standards and procedures and net metering and adopt H.B. 1076.
- Require government access to real-time market information and the ability to analyze the infor-mation in order to prevent or correct market power abuses.
- As a consumer,
Pennsylvania should buy fleet vehicle fuel derived from agricultural products, such as diesel fuel derived from soybeans.
- Aggressively oppose extension of the federal Price Anderson Act.
- Mandate that coal producers capture coal bed methane and use it as a fuel source.
- Join
New Jersey and 19 other states to inventory contributions to global warming and develop mitigation strategies.
By implementing these recommendations,
Pennsylvania can have a reliable, affordable and cleaner energy supply. The recommended policies would lessen
Pennsylvania 's leading environmental and public health problems like smog, particulate matter in the air, acid rain, toxic pollution, global warming, and water pollution.
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