Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is ready to reboot the state's energy policies with a new plan that's all about job creation, and consumer savings — to the tune of $252 million over five years. He's pushing the Keystone State to reclaim its spot as a top energy dog with the Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Act (PACER), and further sweetens the deal with a revision of the state's energy sources in the Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS).
Gov. Shapiro, in an op-ed for TribLIVE.com, touted a cap-and-invest program tailored for Pennsylvania. Under PACER, around 55 large power plants in the state would buy carbon credits, that fund would then be used to give electric bill rebates. Shapiro claims this will mean no hikes in electricity bills for the folks and even offer lower payments for some. About 30% of the funds raised would go back into energy-producing facilities and energy efficiency projects, according to the governor's statement.
Shapiro made it clear that Pennsylvania would set its caps, pursuing energy independence with state-driven solutions. This proposal, he asserts, would kick Pennsylvania out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and reestablish the state's autonomy over its energy market.
The PRESS isn't just hot air either. This component of Shapiro's plan looks to boost clean energy usage to 35% by 2035, incorporating a wider spectrum of energy sources such as methane digesters, new fusion technology, and small modular nuclear reactors. In his op-ed, Shapiro wrote about a recent investment in Westinghouse, signaling a vote of confidence for homegrown tech and jobs. This, all while hoping to steer Pennsylvania back to its status as a "national leader" in energy,
The big promise on the table is a substantial creation of jobs — around 14,500, as per the governor's calculations. Pedaling his plan as a win-win, Shapiro argues that inaction is too costly a path, leading to higher utility bills, more pollution, and missed job opportunities. He's thrown down the gauntlet to the General Assembly, urging quick action to pass the PACER and PRESS to make Pennsylvania a beacon of energy innovation once again.
