Pa. has chance to get on board with renewable energy

To the Times: On June 12, more than 250 citizens rallied at the state Capitol to turn up the heat on state lawmakers to transition Pennsylvania to 100 percent renewable energy. We have a tremendous opportunity to reverse Pennsylvania’s history of extracting dirty fuels from the ground and switch to the clean sources of tomorrow, including wind and solar.

If adopted by our elected leaders, House Bill 2132 will transition Pa. to 100 percent clean power by the year 2050. This forward-thinking action would fulfill our state’s moral obligation to combat climate change, while creating goodpaying, family-sustaining jobs in the wind and solar industries. It also includes workforce development resources to help workers in the fossil fuel industry find jobs in this expanding sector.

Several municipalities have pledged similarly ambitious goals, including Phoenixville and Allentown, but a statewide switch would send a powerful message to Washington that action on climate change will not wait for them. Future generations and countless species cannot afford to wait.

H.B. 2132 – and its equivalent bill in the Senate (S.B. 1140) – have earned bipartisan support from over 60 co-sponsors, including senators Anthony Williams. Mike Hays, Member, Environmental Advisory Council (EAC), Lower Merion Township, Ardmore