Issue Position: Corbett's Climate Action Plan is woefully inadequate

Issue Position

HARRISBURG, Dec. 31 -- Pennsylvania's new Climate Action Plan that was unveiled today falls far short because it fails to set
greenhouse gas reduction goals and fails to provide clear, quantifiable recommendations to meet those goals, according to state Rep.
Greg Vitali, Democratic chairman of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.
The plan also fails to sufficiently incentivize renewable energy, said Vitali, a member of the Climate Change Advisory Committee which
is charged with advising DEP on the preparation of the Climate Change Action Plan.
"The very essence of a climate change action plan is the setting of target greenhouse gas reduction goals and a clearly defined
strategy to meet these goals," Vitali said. "It's hard to believe the Corbett Administration would submit a plan without these basic
elements. Regrettably this plan is consistent with Governor's Corbett's total failure of leadership on the climate change issue."
The first plan, submitted in 2009, called for a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Act 70 of 2008 requires the
DEP to submit a plan every 3 years.
Vitali said the plan should describe how the enactment of its recommendations will enable the commonwealth to meet its target
greenhouse gas reduction goals. The current recommendations lack sufficient specificity, and there is no analysis to demonstrate how
the enactment of the recommendations will result in greenhouse gas reductions, Vitali said.
Vitali said the expanded use of renewable energy is imperative to the stabilization of the earth's climate, yet scant mention of renewable
energy is made in this plan. Vitali said there were just nine mentions of renewable energy and 14 mentions of alternative energy in the
plan, but natural gas received 184 mentions.
The best way to increase renewable energy in Pennsylvania is to increase its Alternative Energy Portfolio standard, Vitali said. This
plan does not recommend increasing Pennsylvania's AEPS.
Pennsylvania's AEPS now requires electric companies to purchase 8 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020 -- far short
of neighboring states. New Jersey's AEPS calls for 17.88 percent of its energy to come from renewable sources by 2012; Maryland's
plan calls for 18 percent by 2022 and Delaware's plan calls for 25 percent by 2026.
Vitali has introduced House Bill 100, which would amend the commonwealth's AEPS to require Pennsylvania electric companies to
obtain 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2023

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