Environmental group pushes a green recovery plan for Pa.
In the ominous shadow of COVID-19, an environmental nonprofit has presented a recovery plan for Pennsylvania.
Harrisburg-based PennFuture last week unveiled what it calls a “green stimulus and recovery platform.” The advocacy and watchdog organization cobbled together a 50-page report (www.pennfuture.org/greenstimulus) that included recommendations to rely on the state’s nature-based, clean energy and low-carbon industries to provide jobs and a sustainable economy.
Those industries include agriculture, outdoor recreational opportunities and renewable energy, especially solar.
PennFuture estimated that $2.8 billion in investments would be needed, an amount it said would save or create up to 389,000 jobs statewide, cut pollution, prioritize natural resources and enhance public health.
The four goals are to: safely restart the state’s economy while protecting human health; avoid state budget cuts that will harm businesses; seek short-term investments that lead to family-sustaining wages; and push long-term investments that contribute to clean and profitable communities.
Madeleine Smith, a lead author of the report, said in a statement: “After generations of relying on polluting and toxic industries to grow the state’s economy, it’s time for Pennsylvania to chart a new path.”
Smith, a clean water advocacy campaign manager for PennFuture, added: “This report identifies tangible policy actions Pennsylvania can take to recover from the COVID-19 economic crisis and lead the way toward a more sustainable economy. The age of fossil fuel reliance is over and the time for clean energy is now.”
One conclusion of the study is Pennsylvania should impose a severance tax on unconventional oil and gas drilling – fracking. The report says: “The commonwealth remains the only fracked gas-drilling state that doesn’t levy a severance tax. Instead, the industry and the legislature struck a deal during the early days of the industry to implement a so-called impact fee, which provides a flat fee per well that phases out over time.
“. . . a severance tax would generate revenue based on the amount of natural gas produced by the wells. In other words, Pennsylvania’s fracked gas industry is paying far less than in other states, particularly as the number of new wells drilled decreases over time. A severance tax could be enacted to support the green stimulus proposals in this framework, particularly as Pennsylvania transitions away from the fracked gas industry to more sustainable economic development opportunities.”
David Spigelmyer, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, which represents about 200 natural gas-related companies, said in a statement: “Natural gas is a clear winner for Pennsylvania’s economy and environment, serving as a catalyst for manufacturing job growth, especially among the region’s union building trades, delivering meaningful energy savings and driving significant clean air progress.
“Extreme policies that ignore the clear gains made with the natural gas produced in Washington County are unrealistic and will burden families with higher energy costs, while putting thousands of hard-working Pennsylvanians out of work, at a time when far too many face pandemic-related economic struggles.”
The report also targeted abandoned coal mines and oil and gas wells, a legacy issue that is prevalent in the state.
“Pennsylvania’s oil drilling and coal mining industries have left Pennsylvania with significant legacy pollution issues that endanger lives, pollute water and air, and hold back economic development in the surrounding areas,” the study said. “Over 200,000 acres of abandoned mine lands exist statewide, representing historic mining sites active prior to 1977 that were inadequately reclaimed or protected and are hazardous because of landslides, fires, air pollution and water pollution caused by acid mine drainage.
“. . . Any new economic development of these sites will cost private developers potentially millions of dollars in cleanup, making land reuse costly and, often, untenable.”
Matthew Stepp, PennFuture’s executive vice president and chief of staff, acknowledged that the report is long and comprehensive, but provides direction.
“Our recommendations in the report are many and varied,” he said, “but we staunchly believe they collectively provide a clear vision for recovery and economic stability in Pennsylvania.”