More than 100 groups protest Pennsylvania governor's support of natural gas energy
The Marcellus has been a great engine of economic development, capital formation, and emissions reduction for Pennsylvania and the US. Thank goodness, there is no-growth in No-Growth World.
More than 100 groups protest Pennsylvania governor's support of natural gas energy
More than 100 organizations — mostly environmental groups — in Pennsylvania sent a joint letter of protest to Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro on Feb. 15, saying his new 10-year economic development plan wrongly embraces fossil fuels and fails to promote a transition to an economy relying on renewable energy.
“The proposed plan will worsen Pennsylvania’s economic position by linking it to the fossil fuel-driven boom-and-bust economic cycles of the past. Instead, we urge you to return to your campaign platform of forging a new path towards a clean and sustainable economy that supports workers and protects the climate,” they wrote in the letter.
The groups are upset that Shapiro’s “Pennsylvania Gets It Done” economic plan delivered a week earlier makes scant reference to renewable energy or climate change in setting the state’s energy priorities.
Instead, the plan “doubles down” on the continued and expanded use of fracked natural gas in the state, the letter said. Pennsylvania is second only to Texas in drilling for natural gas.
Shapiro hailed two federally proposed hubs to produce hydrogen energy in Pennsylvania. One would rely on natural gas. Carbon dioxide produced from the process would be captured and stored underground.
Shapiro’s plan calls for an “all of the above energy strategy” and notes the state’s “competitive specializations” in natural gas and hydrogen, as well as its “wealth of natural resources” in oil, coal and gas. It also cites the growing number of petrochemical plants and pipelines in the state.
The plan only mentions solar, wind and renewable energy three times. “The plan emphasizes our existing dependence on fracked gas production, while highlighting the infrastructure needed to support extractive industries, such as pipelines, or manufacturing, such as coal or hydrogen,” the letter to the governor said.
The groups said it was disappointing that a transition to renewable energy was not detailed in the plan, especially because Shapiro has pledged to pursue a goal of the state reaching 30% of its electricity generated by renewables by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050.
Pennsylvania ranks 45th among states in its use of renewable energy sources to produce electricity, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
“Failure to prioritize renewable energy development in its 10-year economic plan puts Pennsylvania in the precarious position of being one of only a few states not capitalizing on the emerging sustainable economy,” the letter to Shapiro said.
The groups conclude by urging Shapiro to reconsider his strategy for the economic sector “and work equitably with clean energy businesses and communities to build a sustainable economy we can all prosper in and be proud of.”
In addition to environmental groups, the letter had the support of some religious organizations and elected public officials.
PennFuture and Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, two of Pennsylvania’s largest environmental groups, said in a statement that they “urge the governor to return to his campaign platform of forging a new path toward a clean and sustainable economy so that we can all work together to ensure Pennsylvania’s 10-year economic strategy gets it right.”
A request to Shapiro’s press office for a response to the letter has not yet been answered.