Pennsylvania Climate Groups Lay Out Roadmap for Clean Energy Actions That Shapiro Administration Can Prioritize in 2024 Agenda and Budget Proposal
Today, a coalition of Pennsylvania climate groups released a new action checklist detailing nine steps that Gov. Josh Shapiro can take to make Pennsylvania a leader in clean energy and maximize clean energy investment opportunities from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
The memo comes ahead of Governor Shapiro’s 2024 Budget Address in early February. Pennsylvania’s state-level actions over the next year will be pivotal to help the Commonwealth bring in federal climate investments. The bulk of competitive grants under the IRA are scheduled to be awarded by the end of 2024, and nearly all of the law’s tax incentives are already online.
Evergreen Action, Conservation Voters of PA, Clean Air Action Fund, Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter, PennFuture, and the Natural Resources Defense Council released the action checklist today as a roadmap for the Shapiro administration. Read the full memo here.
“Pennsylvania has a historic opportunity to make forward-thinking investments in the 2024 budget that will make the Commonwealth more competitive for federal funding,” said Evergreen Action Deputy State Policy Director Julia Kortrey. “Governor Shapiro can ensure that Pennsylvania becomes a national leader in tackling climate change, lowering energy costs for consumers, and creating clean energy jobs for working people across the Commonwealth. This nine-step action plan will be a win-win for Pennsylvania’s economy and the climate.”
The plan calls for the following nine steps:
- Fully implement the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
- Increase the development of renewable energy generation to support clean energy goals and the clean energy economy
- Advance building electrification and energy efficiency in order to lower consumer costs, cut pollution, and improve public health
- Address air pollution through advancing new clean transportation standards and funding
- Prioritize the decarbonization of the industrial sector
- Develop and implement a workforce development strategy to seize emerging clean energy job opportunities
- Advance a clean energy economic development strategy to maximize in-state investments and benefits to local communities
- Double down on efforts to reduce methane pollution from oil and gas wells and from pipelines
- Support climate-smart agricultural practices
“Right now, states across the country are racing to secure unprecedented federal clean energy investment for their communities, businesses, and economies. And in 2024, Governor Shapiro has an opportunity to secure these federal dollars while simultaneously lowering consumer costs, reducing air pollution, and spurring the creation of high quality clean energy jobs in Pennsylvania,” said Katie Blume, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania political and legislative director. “Now is the time for Pennsylvania to act to maintain economic growth and competitiveness across the region—but it’s crucial that the governor simultaneously enacts a clear, actionable economic development plan to ensure that workers and communities all across the Commonwealth are included in this clean energy future.”
“Governor Shapiro is poised to finally shift Pennsylvania toward a sustainable future. We are currently 50th in the nation for renewable energy growth. The mining industry is unsafe for workers and poisons our air, land, and water every day,” said Clean Air Action Political Director Liz Green Schultz. “Our governor will work to correct this ongoing violation of our civil rights, uphold the constitutional right to clean air and pure water that Pennsylvanians fought for more than 50 years ago, and create renewable energy jobs.”
“For far too long, the effects of climate change and the fossil fuel industry have devastated Pennsylvania’s environment and communities. But by prioritizing clean energy and climate policies in his 2024 budget, Governor Shapiro can usher in a windfall of federal funding to reinvigorate the Commonwealth’s economy and protect the health of our environment,” said PennFuture Campaign Manager Adam Nagel. “Pennsylvanians deserve an affordable, equitable, and healthy clean energy future. And by taking direct action next year, Pennsylvania can create quality jobs, slash dangerous air and water pollution, and improve health outcomes in burdened communities for generations to come.”
“So far the Shapiro administration has done a great job of taking advantage of the once-in-a-generation opportunities presented by federal investment programs, but the job is not done yet,” said Tom Schuster, Director of the Sierra Club’s Pennsylvania Chapter. “We are at a critical crossroads in the effort to avert a climate crisis. Decisive action now will determine whether or not Pennsylvania will be a leader in the clean energy economy as it was in the fossil fuel economy, but we have to make up for lost time. By incorporating these actions into his administration’s priorities, Governor Shapiro can ensure that we have family-supporting union jobs in Pennsylvania up and down the supply chain, all while protecting our health and ensuring a livable climate.”
"Neighboring states have long experienced RGGI’s benefits: saving people hundreds of millions of dollars in energy costs; creating thousands of family-sustaining jobs; and improving public health while significantly cutting carbon pollution," said Robert Routh, Pennsylvania Clean Energy State Lead at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). "RGGI participation will also drive nearly $1 billion in federal clean energy investments into Pennsylvania and provide ongoing funding to support energy efficiency and building electrification programs—key action items for the Shapiro administration in 2024."
The IRA provides at least $370 billion in projected climate investments that will create jobs, lower costs, cut pollution, promote justice, and supercharge the clean energy transition. States are eligible to receive funds from nearly 40 different IRA programs; a grand total of more than $50 billion from federal programs that could go directly to state governments. Complementing IRA funding, the IIJA is expected to bring over $5 billion to Pennsylvania in sustainable transportation options—including public transportation and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure—and provide additional financial support investments in weatherization and clean water.