"The weather's ugly here, which is why these bills are important. On a day like this the energy grid is stressed because consumers are using excessive energy," John Hanger, CEO and president of Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, tells GlobeSt.com. "These bills would help us replace inefficient lighting and electrical systems in commercial buildings. We pay much more for electricity than if we had a more efficient system. And the worst is yet to come."
The first of the two bills are House Bill 2200, an energy savings bill written to ensure energy efficiency and conservation programs as well as smart meter that will help manage electricity use. The second is Special Session House Bill 1, which is the clean energy-funding bill which will provide $850 million of investments in green buildings, renewable energy and energy investments.
"We support green initiatives in general," says Jill Kowalski, the executive director of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council, a chapter of the US Green Building Council. However, she did not specifically come out in support of either House Bill 2200 or Special Session House Bill 1 since she was not clear on the parameters of the legislation. "There are just so many now."
House Bill 2200 "is an energy conservation bill. People regardless of income will receive an installation of smart meters," which will help manage home electricity use according Hanger. Special Session House Bill 1 will help create employment for green industries. Both bills passed overwhelmingly through the house and are pending in the senate's vote July 1.
Passing the two pieces of legislation would create the Great Green Jobs Campaign, which is made up of 140 businesses members and would help bring thousands of environmental or green energy jobs to Pennsylvania.
"There are more than 3,000 wind and solar industry jobs," according to Hanger. "Growth in wind and solar technology is happening, and we're in the early stages of this."
"We've had good business member participation from small businesses to multi-billion dollar companies," says Hanger. "The clean energy business is really growing and working hard to pass this legislation."
DVGBC held a seminar on the financial, employee and environmental benefits of green leasing last week. The panel discussion and networking event went well with more than 140 attending, Kowalski tells GlobeSt.com, who said she believes green building growth in Pennsylvania is subjective.
"I think it depends on who you ask," Kowalski says. "There are developers that have all their new buildings green, while other developers are doing it the old way."
Hanger says that "we actually have some of the greatest number of green building in the country. We are second to California. Pennsylvania has some momentum in green building. However, the total numbers are small, but per capita is very high."
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