Kevin Sunday, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry’s Director of Government Affairs, told U.S. senators that federal policy must expand opportunities for all citizens while supporting economic growth during a subcommittee hearing on Thursday.
Testifying before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight, Sunday address the balance between commerce and conservation. Noting the regressive nature of high energy prices on vulnerable communities, Sunday spoke to the need for developing domestic energy sources, such as the ones available in Pennsylvania, as a way to combat “energy poverty.”
“The abundant natural resources of our state have led this country through every major energy transition that has occurred in the past 165 years,” Sunday said.
He also addressed the importance of having a reliable supply of energy, and urged policy makers to consider the economic and environmental benefits of the state’s energy and plastics industries.
“Limiting domestic output of this industry will produce negative economic and environmental costs and impacts, from raising the cost of goods and services for working families and sending more jobs overseas, to increasing global emissions and an increase in the amount of waste sent to landfills,” Sunday said.
However, job creation remains a key factor in environmental justice, he said and providing jobs across sectors raises communities out of poverty.
Necessary to any legislative efforts are meaningful permitting reform and an increase in investment in industry, Sunday said. Industry’s like chemicals, manufacturing and the recycling sectors play crucial roles in sustainable growth, he said, and those projects not only support economic development, but also empower local communities through responsible environmental practices.
“We encourage a balanced discussion that recognizes the important economic benefit of our state’s energy, manufacturing, and chemical sectors as well as any environmental impacts that need to be addressed,” Sunday said.