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State Senator Allen G. Kukovich Recently, I was a keynote speaker at the Renewable Energy Conference sponsored by the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy. The two-day conference, held at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Somerset County, brought together energy industry experts, policymakers, educators, municipal leaders, farmers, conservation specialists and interested citizens for the purpose of discussing the latest developments in renewable energy technologies and their potential to stimulate economic growth throughout the Commonwealth. In my address to the conference, I outlined a plan for a more effective, coherent and sustainable energy policy in Pennsylvania as well as several of my legislative proposals related to energy conservation. In 2001, I introduced the PennCONSERVE program, a proposal aimed at educating Pennsylvanians about conservation and promoting the use of renewable energy sources in homes and offices through incentives such as tax credits, sales tax exemptions and consumer choice control systems. A key component of the PennCONSERVE plan is a sales tax holiday for Energy Star products. These are products that use 15% to 75% less energy than their standard counterparts. In addition, businesses that build or renovate office space with energy efficient "green building" techniques would receive a Save Energy Building Tax Credit through PennCONSERVE. The Kukovich energy plan would also provide tax incentives to encourage the reclamation of lands impacted by coal waste, as well as the use of coal refuse to generate clean electricity. In Westmoreland County alone, we have 201 coal ash piles with more than 200 million tons of waste. Legislation such as SB1191 could turn some of this waste into a means to produce clean electricity. Pennsylvania is working toward an advanced Energy Portfolio Standard over the next 10 years. The new standard calls for 10 percent of all energy generated in the Commonwealth to come from clean, efficient sources such as wind, solar energy, biomass, waste coal and coal bed methane. It is obvious that renewable energy will cut costs, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and improve the environment. What is less obvious, but more important, is that renewable energy will create new job opportunities and stimulate economic growth. There is tremendous potential for increased economic development throughout Pennsylvania through investment in these new technologies. Pennsylvania can step up to the plate and be a leader in this area. Just as this country's energy past may have started in Philadelphia with Ben Franklin and his kite to create incentives for conservation and to educate our citizens about how to reduce energy usage and costs. Pennsylvania may be the key to America's energy future. We have an opportunity to create incentives for conservation and to educate our citizens about how to reduce energy usage and costs. CapNews Guest Speaker: Archives |
