Governor Rendell Hails Legislative Support for Energy Independence Strategy

 

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 25, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire

 

With legislation now introduced in the House, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today Pennsylvania is a major step closer to realizing the goals of his Energy Independence Strategy.

"It is time that we declare energy independence," Governor Rendell said during a news conference where House Democratic leaders unveiled four bills to implement his Energy Independence Strategy. "The legislation now before the General Assembly will save consumers $10 billion over the next 10 years, promote our energy independence and create 13,000 new jobs by rapidly expanding the commonwealth's clean energy business. This is another major step forward as Pennsylvania continues to be a national leader in renewable energy production.

"Pennsylvania's businesses and residential consumers need help addressing rising energy prices," Governor Rendell said. "This strategy is a roadmap to reduce consumption and lower costs for consumers and businesses. Using smart and strategic policies, we'll be able to attract hundreds-of-millions-of- dollars worth of new investments and create thousands of new jobs. "This strategy will help to reinforce our state's economic and competitive future, and it will move Pennsylvania closer toward energy independence."

Governor Rendell's Energy Independence Strategy will make an $850 million investment that will help Pennsylvania achieve three key goals:

-- Save consumers $10 billion in energy costs over the next 10 years;

-- Expand Pennsylvania's energy production and energy technology sectors to create more jobs; and

-- Reduce Pennsylvania's reliance on foreign fuels and increase Pennsylvania's clean energy production capacity.

Governor Rendell noted that although the state has experienced tremendous growth in the renewable energy industry, the demand for such projects is still outpacing the state's resources, causing Pennsylvania to miss out on tens-of- millions-of-dollars in economic development.

"Pennsylvania has created more than 2,500 jobs in the clean energy sector but since funding is limited, we're only able to support 10 percent of the requests for energy dollars and we're losing out on at least $100 million in potential investments every year," he said. "There is no reason the commonwealth should not lead the nation in conservation and in the creation of new energy sources."

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission estimates that an average, medium-sized commercial business uses about $10,524 per year on electricity. Governor Rendell's Energy Independence Strategy provides new options that business could use to reduce that expense:

-- A grant or loan through the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority to fund an energy efficiency and demand management project, which would reduce electricity use by automatically turning off lights in unoccupied rooms and monitoring energy prices, reducing usage at times when prices are highest. An earlier Pennsylvania demand management project resulted in savings of 40 percent for a commercial office, with even greater savings in a warehouse setting. That translates to $4,209.60 annually.

-- Installing a 20 kW solar system through the Pennsylvania Sunshine Solar Initiative, saving about $2,093.14 a year on energy costs and receiving a rebate of up to $25,000.

-- Instituting measures like time-of-use rates, long-term contracts, and least-cost portfolio to reduce demand across the entire electricity system through. Such measures can save a medium-sized commercial customer an estimated $526.20 each year.

Funding for the Energy Independence Strategy will be generated by a minimal charge on electric power consumption. Similar charges are in place in 15 states and the District of Columbia. The charge is proposed at $0.0005 per kWh of electricity used -- lower than all but two of the 16 jurisdictions.

For more information on the Energy Independence Strategy, visit http://www.depweb.state.pa.us.

The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit his Web site at: http://www.governor.state.pa.us .

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

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