Sen. Yaw: ‘If We’re Promoting Electric Vehicles, Then You’re Promoting Mining By Children,’ We Should Look At Big The Picture

At the March 9 Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on DCNR’s budget request with Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, made these remarks about DCNR switching to electric vehicles--

“Your switch over to electric vehicles, and I'm not sure, I think I heard 25 percent [of DCNR vehicles] or is it 50 percent in a few years?  

[DCNR said it was 25 percent of passenger vehicles by 2025.]

Here's my question, and look, I don't have anything against electric vehicles or solar power or anything. 

What I do object to is the fact that we don't look at the big picture when we look at these things. 

And so, my question is, when we look at electric vehicles, do you research how they're made? 

Do you do find out or check where the products come from that go into these vehicles? 

How are you gonna charge them? And where's the electricity coming from? 

I've heard people talk about solar power.

Well, if solar power is so great, then why don't you just charge them with solar power or have your charging stations powered by your own solar array or windmills, or whatever? 

Does anybody look at the big picture when you look at the... say we're gonna switch over to electric vehicles?

[Secretary Dunn tries to respond....]

Excuse me, Secretary. You're not answering the question. 

The question was, do you look at where these materials come from that make these vehicles? 

For example, many of the products that go into electric vehicles come from China. And China gets their materials, the raw materials, from Africa. 

And in Africa, many of those raw materials are mined by children. 

That's the effect. 

So, if we're promoting electric vehicles, then you're promoting mining by children. 

Do you look at those factors? And you should if you don't. 

There's two factors that you need to consider in clean energy, and you cannot escape either of them. 

Number one is you cannot have clean energy without fossil fuel. That's number one. 

And if anybody could come up with a project, a clean energy project, that at some point does not depend on fossil fuel, tell me about it. 

And number two, you cannot have a clean energy project without mining. 

So, those two factors are out there. And I am not saying you shouldn't go to electric. 

All I'm saying is you need to look at the big picture, which I don't think anybody does with this state. 

If we're saying we're going to all these electric vehicles, we're not looking at where they come from, how they're made, what's the geopolitical impact of it. 

That's what we need to do, and then make a choice. And that's all I'm saying.”

[Note: Sen. Yaw’s comments begin at 2:21:20 [or so] in the Senate video of the hearing.]

[Note: Sen. Yaw in November voted for legislation-- Senate Bill 596-- introduced by Sen. Bob Mensch (R-Montgomery) to encourage the development of clean transportation infrastructure, including for electric vehicles, and establishing a goal of increasing the number of electric vehicles in the state by at least 50 percent over forecasted levels by 2030.  Read more here.]

[Note: The issue of responsible sourcing of materials going into electronic devices, batteries and many other renewable and non-renewable energy products and equipment is being resolved by aggressive policies adopted by companies, reporting requirements by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, pressure by groups like Amnesty International and other steps.  See more in Foreign Policy Magazine-- Read more here. The Guardian-- Read more here. The Financial Times-- Read more here.]

Sen. Gene Yaw (R) represents Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna (part) and Union counties and serves as Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-787-3280 or sending email to: gyaw@pasen.gov.  

NewsClips:

Rachel McDevitt: PA Elected Officials Calling For Feds To Support Transition To Cleaner Cars

StateImpact: Legislative Action On Increasing PA’s Alternative Energy Goals Appears Unlikely

Utility Dive: Lion Electric: EVs Save Transport Firms 80% On Energy, 60% On Repair Costs Compared To Diesel

Related Articles:

-- Sen. Mensch Introduces Bill To Encourage Development Of Clean Vehicle Infrastructure- Electric, Natural Gas, Hydrogen 

-- Sen. Dush: Climate Change Is A ‘Farce,’ ‘Every Time I See A Tesla Out There...I See It Being Carried On The Backs Of Little Black Kids’  

-- Senators Laughlin, Haywood Announce Bipartisan Bill To Increase AEPS Solar Share To 5.5% 

-- PA Township News: Solar Farming: The Next Big Thing?  Rural Communities On The Front Lines Of Solar's Growth

-- Dickinson College Clarke Forum Hosts March 31 How To Use The Planet Without Using It Up Online Program 

-- International Insurance Firm Swiss Re Group Announces Climate Targets-- Exit Coal Business By 2030, Withdraw From Supporting Oil & Gas Production

[Posted: March 16, 2021]  PA Environment Digest