State Sen Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming County) said his bill to provide residents with energy choices was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate Local Government Committee.
Yaw’s bill, Senate Bill 311, the Energy Choice bill, would limit municipalities from banning specific types of fuel sources for homes or businesses. The language in the bill is fuel-neutral and not tied to any specific energy source.
“It’s simply about consumer choice and keeping energy costs low,” Yaw said. “When municipal governments start picking winners and losers, then we have a serious problem. Pennsylvania residents have a myriad of energy options to choose from and we should keep it that way.”
Yaw said his bill was an effort to prevent what happened in Berkeley, CA from happening in Pennsylvania. Berkeley was the first city in the country to ban natural gas hookups in new construction in an effort to keep buildings and homes from using fossil fuels.
“Many of my constituents still use wood to heat their homes,” Yaw said. “Are we going to stop them next?”
The bill is supported by the Energy Association of Pennsylvania.
The same bill passed the Senate in the last session but was never brought up in the House for a vote by the Local Government Committee there. Yaw said 26 states currently have enacted energy choice legislation. The bill now moves on to the full Senate for consideration.