In response to the release of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2024-25 budget proposal, including its climate investments, Evergreen Action State Program Director Justin Balik released the following statement:
“For Pennsylvania to maintain its legacy as a national energy leader, clean energy needs to be at the forefront of its strategy. The clean energy investments in this proposal are significant and long overdue, but this must be the first step—not the finish line. Governor Shapiro’s executive budget delivers crucial investments to build state agency energy staff capacity to bring in federal funding for clean energy projects, transmission planning, and environmental justice in the Commonwealth. And while these proposed investments should be advanced without delay, there is more the Shapiro administration must do to maximize federal dollars flowing into Pennsylvania’s economy and communities.
“In just the first year of the Inflation Reduction Act, Pennsylvania received nearly $200 million in investments and created over 400 new jobs. But that’s just a fraction of the investment local economies and businesses could see if Gov. Shapiro acts now to better position Pennsylvania to secure competitive federal funding. Further action and investments to decarbonize the Commonwealth’s industrial sector, support worker transitions to clean energy jobs, and fully participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative will be essential to meeting the governor’s climate goals and maintaining economic competitiveness in the region.”
Earlier this year, Evergreen and a coalition of Pennsylvania climate groups released an action checklist detailing nine steps that Governor 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 majority of the IRA’s competitive grants will be awarded by the end of 2024, so it’s crucial Pennsylvania acts this year to implement these recommendations and ensure money isn’t left on the table.