Pennsylvania's Historic Commitment to Alternative Energy

Rising energy costs are taking a major toll on hard-working individuals and families everywhere. Gas prices are currently at record highs and will continue to climb. Meanwhile, we are facing significant increases in our electric bills when Pennsylvania lifts the rate caps in 2010. We need to take action now to ease these energy pains.

Pennsylvania is making an historic commitment to easing the rising costs of fuel and electric rates and finding alternative energy sources. Our new budget includes a  $650 million energy package called the Alternative Energy Investment Act that will help us become more energy sufficient. It focuses on alternative energy and energy conservation while investing in cutting-edge technologies in emerging industries.

The package’s focus on cutting-edge technologies in emerging industries like solar, wind, geothermal — in combination with investments in weatherization — will help us better deal with skyrocketing costs.

The package will encourage everyone to become more energy efficient by providing millions of dollars in grants, loans, rebates and tax credits that homeowners, small business owners and operators of energy businesses may apply for.

The Alternative Energy Investment Act will have a tremendous positive environmental and economical impact on Pennsylvania.

We are giving individuals and businesses opportunities to improve their energy efficiency and reduce pollutants; investing in emerging businesses that produce and distribute clean energy products; and helping hard-working residents afford their utility bills.

Specifically, investments in solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal heat and biodiesel production will clean our environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

To help ease energy costs to consumers, the Alternative Energy Investment Act has allocated funding to help families and business owners take steps to weatherize their homes and businesses. These funds will cover a portion of the cost of weatherization as well as buying and installing energy efficient products. By encouraging families and businesses to weatherize their homes and buildings for the harsh winter weather, we can ensure that utilities bills are more manageable.

In addition to spurring weatherization projects, the energy package will also aid families who cannot afford the inevitable high costs of utility bills in the winter. The state’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) already provides emergency grants to homeowners who cannot pay their heating bills. Now, the new energy package is committed to assisting even more homeowners who are struggling with high energy bills.

Investing in clean energy industries will also create 13,000 quality jobs and make Pennsylvania a major national supplier of alternative energy products like electric cars, windmills and fuel cells.

Meanwhile, homeowners, businesses and motorists will benefit from state support toward using alternative energy products, thereby lowering their energy costs. 

It is clear that the cost of fuel will continue to rise in the near future, which will continue to affect every aspect of our lives, from our vehicle usage to our grocery and utility bills. We are also facing dramatic increases in our electric bills in the next few years. This energy package is a step in the right direction toward easing those costs for everyone while making Pennsylvania a cleaner and greener place to live for ourselves and for generations to come.