Group presses PECO for ‘big change’
Environmental group holds day of action at several sites
PHOENIXVILLE » About 20 people carrying giant pennies delivered a call to action for PECO Thursday at the utility’s Phoenixville facility.
The group was part of day of action at several PECO locations — part of an ongoing Power Local Green Jobs initiative — a faith-based economic justice campaign led by Earth Quaker Action Team.
“We want PECO’s top management to set a braver, more ambitious green energy goal than the company now has,” a letter delivered by the group to a PECO representative stated. “The goal we ask PECO to adopt is 20 percent solar power by 2025 — creating new jobs in rooftop solar and prioritizing that those jobs go to communities with chronically high underemployment. PECO could do a lot of good by going for this Big Change rather than small change.”
The pennies were meant to symbolize the small change.
In Phoenixville, the group gathered outside the gate at the 1101 W. Bridge Street service facility. The location is not a PECO customer service office, so the group was unable to go inside the building — but according to spokesman Marc Brier, a PECO security guard came out and accepted the letter and a box of cookies from the group.
Brier, from West Norriton, said he had been involved in some of the previous actions by the Earth Quaker Action Team in Philadelphia, but was hoping to see the organization’s actions move out into the suburbs.
“And they did. I wanted to get involved in the Phoenixville action. I have been volunteering in Norristown at a soup kitchen. I see the issues of unemployment, poverty and displacement in Norristown,” he said.
According to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupations expected to be grow the most through 2026 is solar panel installers. The projection is that the occupation will grow by 105 percent, adding 11,900 jobs by 2026.
Greg Holt, a spokesman for Earth Quaker Action Team acknowledges that PECO has taken some steps with solar, but the company isn’t moving fast enough.
“Our message is — small change isn’t enough,” he said.
PECO said Thursday it is committed to environmental leadership and sustainability and advancing smart energy.
“It’s important to point out that we don’t disagree with the overall vision, just with their timeline of how to get there,” said PECO spokeswoman Alexandra Coppadge, adding that the company has been engaging in efforts to advancing solar and smarter energy.
Those efforts have included supporting job training, engaging with customers to develop innovative energy services, streamlining the application process for customers seeking to install solar and supporting legislative efforts like the Solar for All bill that would permit utilities to build and operate solar plants.
“We do know there will be a need for more in energy service. It’s a question of the pace they (EQAT) want things to happen,” Coppadge said.
The Power Local Green Jobs campaign isn’t just about the economic aspects of solar, Holt added, it’s also about clean energy.
“We want them (PECO) to connect the local economic opportunity to the cleaner energy revolution they should be participating in. Solar is the best jobs opportunity right now,” Holt added.
Events were also held Thursday in Warminster and at PECO’s headquarters in Philadelphia.