Pennsylvania state Rep. Mike Armanini (R-Clearfield) said recently he is working on legislation affecting environmental permitting as part of an 11-bill package designed to lower energy costs and expand energy production.
Armanini’s permitting bill would require that all permitting appeals before the Environmental Hearing Board be heard within one year. The bill stems from uncertainty caused by appeals that are said to have caused the scrapping of a proposed energy generation project in Clinton County.
“Projects are getting significantly delayed and killed during the appeals process at a time when we desperately need more electricity added to our 13-state grid,” Armanini said.
The legislation is part of a package Pennsylvania State House Republicans are proposing in response to warnings from PJM Interconnection about grid shortages as early as next summer.
Armanini and State Rep. Joshua Kail (R-Washington) said having the state produce more baseload energy will create jobs and prevent brownouts and blackouts across the state. Both brownouts and blackouts are scenarios residents face if nothing is done to address the shortages, they said.
“Pennsylvania is in a unique position to be an energy powerhouse because of the abundance of resources we have,” Kail said.
The 11-bill package would streamline permitting, modernize the environmental review process and provide greater certainty for businesses investing in the state, the legislators said. It seeks to eliminate the gross receipts tax on electric utility service and protect ratepayers across the state from subsidizing electric transmission costs driven by other states, they said.