Representative Vitali and Senator Erickson Introduce Global Warming Bills

Time to Build Support - What You Can Do!

March 20, 2007

Represenatative Greg Vitali (D, Delaware) and Senator Ted Erickson (R, Delaware) have introduced companion bills (HB 110 and SB 266, respectively) that would be important first steps in getting Pennsylvania moving in the right direction on global warming. These bills have been referred to the House and Senate Environmental Committees, respectively. The Senate Committee, unfortunately, is dominated by mouthpieces for coal, and other polluter interests, as was demonstrated by their effort to kill the important Rendell Administration mercury pollution reduction regulation. So action is likely to center on the House Committee initially.

If enacted the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act (GGRA) would do several key things:

• Require Pennsylvania to compile an inventory of greenhouse gas emmissions within the state
• Produce a report that would identify the environmental, health and economic impacts of global warming on the state
• Create an greenhouse gas reduction plan for PA

Pennsylvania is a leading producer of greenhouse gas emissions, due primarily to our state's dependence on coal for electricity production, our industrial and agricultural activities and our vehicles. In fact, our state puts out 1% of the entire world's greenhouse gases, putting us well ahead of most other nations (13th, if we were a country). With recent action by the Rendell administration to require the sales of cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles, beginning with the 2008 model year, carbon dioxide releases from motor vehicles should start to go down, as the vehicle fleet turns over. But the GGRA is important in order to identify the next steps we need to take to reverse our current dangerous path.

As introduced, HB 110 had nearly 80 cosponsors, and SB 266 had 17 cosponsors, which is a tremendous start. However, the polluter interests who oppose us will be working overtime to kill these bills. We need your help to gain more cosponsors, to get public hearings and finally to pass the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act.

What You Can Do:
If your Representative or Senator is a cosponsor of either HB 110 or SB 266 please thank him/her, and urge they call for public hearings on the legislation. Also ask for support when the bill comes to a vote in Committee or the floor. If your Representative or Senator is not a cosponsor yet, ask her/him to sign on the bill, and support it. Please make sure to ask that they contact you to let you know what actions they take on this important issue.

You can learn if your legislators are cosponsors by checking the PA General Assembly's website at www.legis.state.pa.us You can also see if he/she is on the Environmental Committee. For more information about global warming, and the Sierra Club's work to combat climate change, go to www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming

Please tell us what action you have taken to contact your elected officials and what they tell you they plan to do. Send that information to: pennsylvania.chapter@sierraclub.org

Thanks!

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