February 15, 2005

Statement of Clean Air Council During Press Conference on Global Warming Bill, HB 500

Toni Flora, Harrisburg Program Manager:

"Good morning. My name is Toni Flora. I am an attorney and program manager for Clean Air Council, a statewide non profit organization working to ensure everyone's right to breathe clean air.

"First, I want to thank Representative Vitali for taking the lead on this issue in the Pennsylvania legislature. Global warming is an extremely important issue that the state must address, and must address soon.

"Global warming is going to impact the state's forests and wildlife; its skiing and sports-fishing industries; its agricultural yields and food prices; insurance prices and possibly even public health. We have a duty to our children to investigate ways that global warming will specially impact our state and to do that which is in our power to prevent the worst outcomes from occurring.

"Pennsylvania produces more global warming pollution than any other state, except for Texas and California. This one state alone produces more global warming pollution than 105 developing countries combined. As Pennsylvanians, we have a responsibility to reduce the pollution that we are creating. Thankfully, we now have the opportunity to do so. We can reduce the global warming pollution that threatens the quality of life of future generations-and we can do so in a cost-effective manner that creates high-paying, new jobs for Pennsylvanians.

"Contrary to popular belief, taking action to protect the environment can actually be good for business. A number of major corporations such as DuPont, LaFarge, and IBM have all significantly reduced their global warming pollution, while increasing their profits to the tune of millions of dollars. IBM, for example, reduced their global warming pollution by 65%, saving $791 million in the process. DuPont reduced emissions by almost 70% and saved more than $2 billion. Michael Northrop, Grantmaker for Sustainable Development programs of Rockefeller Brothers Fund, consolidated these and many other success stories in the most recent publication of the Widener Law Journal.

"The tools we need to start successfully reducing global warming pollution on a statewide level are already available. There is no longer any room to effectively argue that economics do not mesh with the environment. Pennsylvania is already a national leader in of many of the clean energy technologies needed to reduce global warming pollution. It is one of the few states that provide electricity consumers the choice of purchasing clean energy as an alternative to fossil fuel-produced power. As a result, Pennsylvania is the largest producer of wind energy on the entire east coast.

"Representative Vitali's bill recognizes the positive economic impacts that clean energy can have in Pennsylvania, and builds off of the best in Pennsylvania's energy heritage. The bill lays out a commonsense blueprint for addressing the problems of global warming and advancing the state's clean energy future.

"Pennsylvania has both the responsibility and the opportunity to address global warming. We must accept that responsibility, grab hold of the very real opportunities, and act now. Clean Air Council is proud to support Representative Vitali's wise plan of action."