The House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing October 28 on the broad topic of “Pennsylvania CO2 and climate.”
The Committee Chair has invited a broad range of individuals and groups who will either present arguments on behalf of environmental organizations, business interests, or share their scholarly research.
The individuals expected to present testimony include--
-- Patrick McDonnell, Secretary of DEP
-- Kevin Dayaratna, The Heritage Foundation
-- Dr. David Legates, Professor of Climatology, University of Delaware
-- Tom Schuster, Beyond Coal Campaign, Sierra Club
-- Rob Altenburg, Director Of PennFuture Energy Center
-- David Masur, Executive Director, PennEnvironment
-- Gregory Wrightstone, Wrightstone Geologic Consulting
-- Gordon Tomb, Commonwealth Foundation
-- Dr. Irina Marinov, Climate Scientist, University of Pennsylvania
-- John Walliser, PA Environmental Council
-- Marc Morano, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, Founder Climate Depot
Click Here for a copy of the agenda [as of October 21].
The hearing will be held in Room G-50 of the Irvis Building starting at 8:00. Click Here to watch the hearing live.
Background
In response to Gov. Wolf’s recent announcement of an executive order directing DEP to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), Majority Chair of the Committee, said, “Gov. Wolf’s unilateral decision to take the first step toward joining the RGGI illegally and unacceptably exceeds the authority of the executive branch and bypasses the General Assembly’s constitutional mandated responsibilities.
“Gov. Wolf clearly does not have the authority to take this reckless action, which will cost average Pennsylvanians more of their hard-earned money through their energy bills, without legislative approval. His executive order will also cause our Commonwealth and the citizens to lose out on countless business and jobs opportunities to neighboring states that are not a part of RGGI.
“As Majority Chairman, I will continue my fight to hold the Wolf administration accountable by ensuring that state regulations encourage, not discourage, job-creating energy producers, while protecting the health, wealth and safety of all Pennsylvanians.”
At an informational meeting held by the Committee on September 19, Republican members expressed concerns about the Wolf Administration taking unilateral action to enact a carbon tax or join RGGI.
In March, the Committee held an informational meeting on debunking modern myths surrounding climate change where the only presenter at the meeting said 140 million years of data on carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere shows the “planet’s CO2 [carbon dioxide] levels have been in a significant and dangerous decline falling from 2,500 ppm” to about 412 ppm today, up from 280 ppm at the beginning of the industrial revolution.
On September 16, Rep. Pam Snyder (D-Fayette), a member of the Committee, joined Representatives James Struzzi (R-Indiana), Donna Oberland (R-Clarion) in announcing plans to introduce legislation to protect coal-fired power plants from any proposed carbon tax by requiring the approval of the General Assembly to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative or similar programs.
Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) serves as Majority Chair of the House Environmental Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-783-1707 or sending email to: dmetcalf@pahousegop.com. Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7647 or sending email to: gvitali@pahouse.net.
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