The State House Republican Policy Committee recently held a hearing in the Hempfield Township Municipal Building to discuss the impact of energy policies on Pennsylvania companies.
The hearing was called Opportunity Lost: Bureaucracy’s Battle Against Fracking. The state’s energy policies, Republicans claim, threaten to eliminate jobs and push the energy grid toward failure. There is a need to defend Pennsylvania’s energy independence, the committee said.
Testifiers included Michael Hillenbrand, Huntley and Huntley CEO and president; Amy McChesney, owner of McChesney Farms; Jeff Nobers, Pittsburgh Works Together executive director; and Randy M. Roadman, General Carbide Corp. government relations director.
“This hearing confirmed how excessive bureaucracy and permit delays create higher costs and push job opportunities out of Pennsylvania,” state Rep. Eric Nelson (R-Westmoreland) said. “Ohio’s air blows right across our border, yet major investments bringing jobs, land contracts for farmers, and new energy projects get squeezed to a trickle at the state line. We can do better; we must do better to maintain high environmental standards and business reliability for our citizens moving forward.”
Pittsburgh Works Together recently released a report that emphasizes the need for an energy policy that ensures reliable and affordable energy. Nobers said this takes a strategic, informed transition from fossil fuels to renewables. Otherwise it will not be sustainable for the energy grid.