Pennsylvania elected officials show leadership on climate issues

In the past month, Pennsylvania’s federal elected officials have stepped up and made major announcements in support of climate action to compliment Pope Francis’ “courageous” call to action on environmental degradation.

Senator Casey Supports the CPP: 

On September 18, Sen. Bob Casey publicly pledged his support for the Clean Power Plan (CPP) at an interfaith climate event in suburban Philadelphia. Sen. Casey joined the majority of Pennsylvania’s voters that support the CPP as a much-needed action to address a major contributor to climate change – carbon pollution from existing power plants. The CPP is an essential first step toward mitigating climate change and improving air quality.        

As the third largest carbon emitting state, Pennsylvania has an important role to play. The rule is designed to give states the opportunity to craft customized Implementation Plans, which will spark investment in clean, renewable energy along with energy efficiency measures - creating good-paying jobs and saving people money on their electric bills.

Below is an excerpt from Sen. Casey’s updated constituent letter on the CPP, which summarizes his reasons for supporting this critical climate action: 

Climate Change is already affecting much of the Nation, including Pennsylvania, and it is imperative for us to develop sensible policies to stave off more dramatic consequences over the next century. I strongly believe that we have a duty to preserve the environment not just so we can have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink, but because this world is in our care for our children and our children's children. Although addressing climate change represents a significant challenge for the Nation and the world, Pennsylvania has the necessary natural and intellectual resources to minimize and mitigate these impacts while moving us towards energy independence and creating jobs across the Commonwealth. I am confident that Pennsylvania can rise to the challenge and for that reason I support the Clean Power Plan. 

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to extend your thanks to Senator Casey for standing up for Pennsylvanians now and in the future with his support of the Clean Power Plan.

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http://1.usa.gov/1NGePCG

Three PA Congressmen Support Republican Climate Change Resolution in U.S. House: 

Led by U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson of New York, eleven Republican members of the House pledged their support to a resolution affirming that climate change is real, that human activity contributes to climate change, and that action is needed. Pennsylvania is well-represented among the group with U.S. Reps.Patrick Meehan, Michael Fitzpatrick, and Ryan Costello all signing on as co-sponsors. 

While the resolution stops short of endorsing any specific action, this is an important statement from a coalition of Republicans that climate action is needed. In particular, the resolution highlights a few key bipartisan areas of agreement on climate action including the need to be good environmental and economic stewards, while also recognizing the pressing threats posed by climate change including risks to wildlife, natural places, human health and safety, national security, and vulnerable populations. Full text of the resolution may be found here. 

Katie Bartolotta is southeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @KatieBartolotta.