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VICTORY: In a victory for Pennsylvania's environment, economy and energy security, the state House and Senate voted to pass HB 2200 on October 8 (Read our release).  This critical legislation willl cut energy demand 3 percent by 2013.  While HB 2200 represents a baby step towards what is necessary, it also represents a critical first step towards Pennsylvania getting serious about cutting our energy use.

Brief Summary

We’ve known for years that the cleanest and cheapest type of energy in Pennsylvania is the energy that is never produced in the first place.  That’s because cutting our energy use by making our homes, buildings and products more energy-efficient means we’re decreasing our demand on the state’s polluting coal-fired power plants.  And that means less air pollution and global warming emissions, and lower electricity bills for businesses and consumers.  Unfortunately though, Pennsylvania has for years lagged behind other states in energy efficiency efforts.   

PennEnvironment is working to change that.  The goal of our Energy Efficient Pennsylvania project is to harness the potential of energy efficiency solutions, and cut energy use in the state 10 percent by 2025.  Recently, we took a critical first step towards this goal by helping to pass legislation in Harrisburg (House Bill 2200) that will establish statewide energy efficiency programs and cut projected energy use by 3 percent over the next four years.  It’s a small but important first step, and will result in a cut in projected global warming pollution equivalent to removing over 1 million cars from the road for a year.  The legislation will also help to protect Pennsylvania homeowners and businesses from rising electricity bills.  By taking this first step, we will make big strides towards seizing the potential of energy efficiency to help protect Pennsylvania’s environment and economy.