General Assembly Misses Environmental Boat

The General Assembly didn't have time for Growing Greener in its closing hours, but did manage to pass two poorly-crafted environmental bills, according to the Pennsylvania Chapter Sierra Club.

In its rush to fine-tune the gambling bill and to bail out Pittsburgh, both houses passed a sewage spending program that will encourage sprawl but will provide little help to residential neighborhoods, and also passed an "alternative energy" bill that should have been a renewable energy bill.

"When the voters approved a $250 million bond issue for sewage treatment, they thought it would be used for improvement to towns' and boroughs' old and failing systems. The General Assembly wants to use it to promote shopping malls," said Robin Mann, water resources chair of the Sierra Club, referring to final passage of SB 1102.

Pennsylvania missed an historic opportunity to pass renewable energy legislation, instead passing special interest-laden legislation that promotes more dependence on fossil fuels and other polluting technologies.

"If you want to see real support of renewable energy, look at what New York has done, 25% not 8%," says Nancy Parks, Air Chair. "The bulk of the so-called alternative energy bill is a boondoggle for the coal industry, promoting burning of waste coal in the name of cleaning up acid mine drainage. The burning will still add to global pollution problems, will add to health problems in the coal communities, and will used unproven technologies to shift the acid problem from big visible gob piles to unseen but still dangerous landfills. The bill also promotes the use of dirty municipal solid waste incineration, which exposes the public to toxics such as dioxins and heavy metals."

Meanwhile, the General Assembly ignored funding for Growing Greener II and left the opportunity for a vote on a bond issue unaddressed. Everyone agrees that we need funds to clean up streams, protect agricultural lands, and protect areas vulnerable to sprawl, but the Republican leadership stalled and prevented the issue from passing.

Nor did the General Assembly address the severe funding crisis for public transportation, leaving the real possibility of draconian service cuts and fare increases. This will result in more highway congestion and air pollution. Those without automobiles may be unable to get to their workplace, resulting in possible loss of jobs.

The General Assembly has failed to serve the public interest, bowing to pressure from special economic interests during its late night sine die sessions.

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