Dear Boys and Girls,

Santa has started some dry runs for Christmas Eve – testing the sleigh’s new GPS system courtesy of Mrs. Claus. (She muttered something about men refusing to ask for directions as I unwrapped it.) The system works very well, and combined with Rudolph’s shiny new compact fluorescent nose, we should be in good shape. But the folks in southwestern Pennsylvania are worried and, after talking to them, so am I.

The nice boys and girls with Stop the Towers told me about the plan by Allegheny Energy to run a massive 240 mile 500 kilovolt power line through Washington and Greene Counties in Pennsylvania, across northern West Virginia and into northern Virginia. The transmission towers could be up to 160 feet tall and the rights of way could be 200 feet wide. The lines will be engineered to be capable of carrying twice the power of a normal 500kv line. I don’t need to tell you what kind of damage hitting those monsters would do to my sleigh, all its contents and the reindeer, too.

Everyone who is anyone in Pennsylvania seems to be against the power lines – from Governor Rendell to the local state representatives and senators to all elected officials, not to mention the more than 2,000 local residents who testified against it and the Energy Conservation Council of Pennsylvania, which has filed a lawsuit to stop it. But the Stop the Towers nice boys and girls are also working to help make new transmission lines less necessary by pushing for passage of the Energy Independence Strategy (EIS).

If the legislature passes the EIS, power companies would need to meet all of our new electricity demand through energy efficiency programs, not by building more power plants and power lines. And we could save up to $12 billion, too.

Nice boy Senator Edwin (Ted) Erickson (R-Chester, Delaware) has introduced the legislation in the senate, Special Session SB 35, which would make energy conservation and efficiency the way to go. His bill is cosponsored by the nice Senators John C. Rafferty, Jr. (R-Berks, Chester, Montgomery), Raphael J. Musto (D-Carbon, Luzerne, Monroe) and John N. Wozniak (D- Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Somerset).

Nice Representative Chris Ross (R-Chester) introduced a similar bill, Special Session HB 31, last month, with these nice boys and girls as co-sponsors:  William F. Adolph, Jr. (R-Delaware), Stephen Barrar (R-Chester, Delaware), Robert E. Belfanti, Jr. (D-Columbia, Montour, Northumberland), Scott W. Boyd (R-Lancaster), Steven W. Cappelli (R-Lycoming), Paul I. Clymer (R-Bucks), Mike Fleck (R-Blair, Huntingdon, Mifflin), Dan B. Frankel (D-Allegheny), Mauree A. Gingrich (R-Lebanon), Julie Harhart (R-Lehigh, Northampton), C. Adam Harris (R-Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder), Tim Hennessey (R-Chester), Arthur D. Hershey (R-Chester), John Hornaman (D-Erie), Mark Keller (R-Franklin, Perry), Duane Milne (R-Chester), Phyllis Mundy (D-Luzerne), Mark Mustio (R-Allegheny), Steven R. Nickol (R-Adams, York), Bernie O'Neill (R-Bucks), Michael Peifer (R-Monroe, Pike, Wayne), Douglas G. Reichley (R-Berks, Lehigh), Carole A. Rubley (R-Chester, Montgomery), Stanley E. Saylor (R-York), Mario M. Scavello (R-Monroe), Curt Schroder (R-Chester), John J. Siptroth (D-Monroe, Pike), David J. Steil (R-Bucks), Rosemarie Swanger (R-Lebanon), W. Curtis Thomas (D-Philadelphia), Gregory Vitali (D-Delaware), Jim Wansacz (D-Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, Wyoming), Katherine M Watson (R-Bucks), and Rosita C. Youngblood (D-Philadelphia).

Hope you like the picture from my road trip to Pittsburgh on Wednesday with Representative Joseph Preston, Jr. and other nice boys and girls from PennFuture, Conservation Consultants, Inc., Group Against Smog and Pollution and Steel City Biofuels. We had a lot of fun!

As always, send me your own naughty and nice list at Santa@PennFuture.org.

Dear Boys and Girls,

The elves came to me with a new project yesterday, inspired by those very nice boys and girls at Google. The gurus at Google announced they were going to invest millions into renewable energy technologies, with a goal of driving down the cost. Google aims to produce one gigawatt of power from renewable energy, enough to supply all of San Francisco, at prices below the rates of electricity generated at coal-burning plants. And the company expects to do it in “years, not decades.?

Well, Santa doesn’t have Google’s billions. So what was the elves’ brainstorm? “Methane, Santa, think methane,? they yelled. “Those reindeer are practically an endless supply!? The more the elves talked, the more excited they got. They convinced me that we couldn’t waste any more time –we needed to clean up our own pollution right away. So I moved 10 percent of the elves off the toy shop floor and they are now busily creating a methane digester (with a portable collector for Christmas Eve).

And speaking of no time to waste – it’s now been 10 months since the Energy Independence Strategy was proposed, but the General Assembly still hasn’t acted. And State Senator Mary Jo White (R-Venango) told Public Radio Capitol News’ Jen Rehill that there really wasn’t any urgency. “We know that electric rates are going to go up, we know that gasoline prices are high, we know that we have infrastructure needs in our transportation, and none of these bills is going to solve any of those problems in the short run. Maybe a long way down the road. . .?

Santa confesses that he has a warm spot in his heart for Senator White. But Senator White is wrong. For families that have to decide between paying their heating bills or buying Christmas presents, the ten month delay means they won’t have help for this winter or the next, since the EIS programs will take a few months to ramp up. Families who are paying a dollar more a gallon for gasoline would welcome the PennSecurity Fuels Initiative, so that more ethanol, and cheaper fuel, would soon be in sight. Families who could use smart meters to reduce their electricity bills still don’t have them, although about 400,000 of these meters could have been installed in the past ten months. Pennsylvania has lost nearly $1 billion in private investment in our growing renewable energy industry – investments that are now going to New Jersey, New York and other states that had the foresight to act. The longer we wait, the more serious our energy problems become, and the harder it will be to dig out. Santa doesn’t want to put Senator White on the naughty list – he’s hoping that maybe she just didn’t think this through.

Earlier this week, some senators made the nice list with their votes against Special Session SB 25 in the Energy Policies committee. This is the bill that would allow paper mill waste to be added to the inadequate 8 percent Tier 1 renewable mandate of the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act, crowding out wind and other truly clean energy technologies. These nice boys and girls – Senators Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton), Andrew Dinniman (D- Chester, Montgomery) Edwin (Ted) Erickson (R-Chester, Delaware), Jim Ferlo (D-Allegheny, Armstrong, Westmoreland), Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny), and Leanna Washington (D-Montgomery, Philadelphia).

But there is a very naughty company trying to cash in on the EIS – Conoco Phillips, the world’s fifth-largest refiner and the sixth-largest reserves holder of nongovernment-controlled companies. Conoco Phillips wants a piece of the biofuels business, but it doesn’t actually want to make biofuels. Instead, the company is pushing for an amendment to the PennSecurity Fuels Initiative to add “bio-based diesel fuel? to satisfy the biodiesel mandate. Biodiesel is a clearly defined and accepted term; bio-based diesel is not. So what does Conoco want to provide? Regular diesel with up to 5 percent rendered chicken fat. This bogus plan would kill Pennsylvania’s burgeoning biodiesel industry, crowding out our homegrown true biodiesel. Pennsylvania’s farmers would be denied a new cash crop – one that may make the very difference in survival for a family farm – and the definition of renewable would be turned on its head.

As always, send me your own naughty and nice list at Santa@PennFuture.org.

Dear Boys and Girls,

Good legislation on energy is moving at a snail’s pace in Harrisburg. I hope the boys and girls in leadership know that Santa’s watching and waiting. The people of Pennsylvania are suffering because of the delay. The clock is ticking and space is running out on Santa’s Nice list.

The reindeer and I are hitting the road today for Pittsburgh, where we’ll be joined by a lot of good boys and girls – State Representative Joseph Preston, Jr., Chair of the Pennsylvania House Consumer Affairs Committee and other local officials, as well as representatives of Conservation Consultants, Inc. (CCI), Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), Steel City Biofuels and other community leaders.

Pittsburghers really have a big stake in passing the Energy Independence Strategy (EIS). Their energy costs are spiraling out of sight, and they need help right now. Remarkably that uphill trek started in gasoline prices in mid-February, just a few weeks after Governor Rendell proposed the EIS. If the General Assembly had acted then, everyone might have more money left (as opposed to leaving more money at the pump). As we know, Philadelphia has the lowest gas prices in the state, thanks to the requirement that gasoline there must include 10 percent ethanol.

Unfortunately, the Senate Energy Policies Committee passed Special Session SB 25 which would help a very naughty company if it becomes law. It seems that P.H. Glatfelter, a York County paper mill with a long history of egregious air and water pollution offenses, would stand to gain a lot if its paper mill waste suddenly became a valuable Tier 1 renewable, diluting the small 8 percent requirement that solar, wind and other new technologies meet. How naughty has Glatfelter been? In 2001, the company agreed to pay $30 million to clean up discharges into Codorus Creek, and a $2 million penalty that went into an endowment for environmental cleanup projects on the Codorus. At the time, the settlement was the largest in state history. In 2003, the company paid another $1.5 million after DEP discovered illegal discharges into the creek. The company has also been found to repeatedly violate air pollution standards, too. Naughty, naughty, naughty.

But some very nice boys and girls are doing everything they can to help Pennsylvania move into the 21st Century economy – the members of the United Steel Workers of America. Because they understand that every environmental victory grows the economy, and that renewable energy jobs are great jobs, they are working side by side with others in the Green-Blue Alliance to make sure that the EIS passes. USW members know firsthand that good jobs and clean energy go together – there are 1,500 new, good paying jobs in Pennsylvania’s renewable energy sector just since the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard Act passed. Santa is very happy with this new alliance and he’s going to check the USW members’ names twice for nice.

As always, send me your own naughty and nice list at Santa@PennFuture.org.

Dear Boys and Girls,

Time is really flying – once Thanksgiving passes, the elves all know that they will be working some serious overtime. It’s not because we don’t work hard all year here at the North Pole; we do. No, right after Thanksgiving, boys and girls everywhere suddenly realize they better clean up their acts – making a longer nice and a shorter naughty list.
That’s one reason why Santa is hopeful that the girls and boys in leadership in Harrisburg (okay, mostly boys) will look at the calendar and speed up their slo-mo consideration of the Energy Independence Strategy. They need to act soon to make sure Pennsylvania has a 21st Century energy policy before they break for the holidays.

So here’s a hint, boys and girls:  Santa doesn’t really hold with Christmas Eve miracles — the earlier you can stop being naughty, the more likely it is that Santa will move you from the naughty to nice list. Got it?

One very naughty boy got his comeuppance early last week when Australia’s Prime Minister John Howard, who refused to take real and significant action on global warming, lost his own seat in Parliament, and the control his party had over government, with the very nice Kevin Rudd becoming the new prime minister. One of Rudd’s main campaign planks was the need for Australia and the world to treat global warming as a worldwide crisis and act immediately. And the Australian voters took this issue to heart – Dr. Geoffrey Hawker, Head of Politics and International relations at Macquarie University said climate change had overtaken the issue of economic management in this election.

Pennsylvanians want action on global warming, too. And not just because Santa’s home is in danger. That nice boy, John Plunkett from the Green Energy Economics Group, has a report that shows how parts of the Energy Independence Strategy – especially the smart meters and conservation requirements – can really make a difference on global warming here at home. Just with those two strategies, we can cut our contribution of heat trapping gases, particularly carbon dioxide, by over 14 million metric tons by 2017. You can see the whole report at www.pennfuture.org.

Santa hopes that today’s hearing by the Senate Energy Policies Committee doesn’t result in more names being added to the naughty list. While some good bills might be considered, some not nice bills are on the agenda, including Special Session SB 25 and Special Session SB 31. These bills would amend the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard Act (AEPS) – which has brought millions of dollars in investment and over 1,500 jobs to Pennsylvania, with more to come – and reduce the value of true renewable energy by adding paper mill waste and an old dam to the list of qualifying technologies. This would pull the rug out from under the same businesses that are growing our new energy economy, and move Pennsylvania backward. Any changes to the AEPS should be comprehensive and must improve on our paltry renewable requirement of only 8 percent, build new technology and energy sources, and not just be a Porkfest for old outdated electricity production sites and methods.

Time is really running out, so Santa and the reindeer are hitting the road to make sure all Pennsylvanians help their legislators be nice, not naughty. On Wednesday, Santa will be in Pittsburgh, along with nice Representative Joe Preston (D-Allegheny), one of the leaders vital to moving the EIS briskly forward.

As always, send me your own naughty and nice list at Santa@PennFuture.org. And don’t worry. If you can’t make it to Pittsburgh, I’ll see you somewhere else in the Commonwealth very soon!

Dear Boys and Girls,

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. But time is getting short –there are just 23 days left to pass vital legislation that would make Pennsylvania an energy conservation leader, cut peak electric demand, provide $850 million for solar and other renewable energy technologies, and make more biofuels that are cleaner and cheaper than gasoline. Santa is counting the days, watching the legislative leaders, and hoping they pass the bills that we all need.

The elves really enjoyed the dinner I made, but the cost of going over the river and through the woods caused pain for most Pennsylvanians – at least in the purse.

Even Santa feels the pain at the pump, since the reindeers’ contract prohibits flying on the first few days of deer hunting season. Gasoline is now over $3 a gallon (up almost a dollar from last year) with no relief in sight. And a good deal of the blame goes to a very naughty group of boys – the members of OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

At their gathering last weekend, the OPEC leaders were crying all the way to the bank. They feared that the rising cost of oil would cause a worldwide recession and further weaken the dollar. They also are starting to consider what impact they are having on global warming, but mostly they’ve expressed concern that oil will be treated unfavorably
Of course, they aren’t doing badly, despite their fears. They control 80 percent of the world’s oil reserves. The 12 members expect $658 billion in revenue this year, up from $605 billion last year, according to a recent estimate by the Energy Information Administration. Next year, their revenue could rise to $762 billion.

So how are these oil barons going to help avoid the problems they see ahead? First, they will continue to restrict output of oil, guaranteeing continued high prices at the pump. And they are launching a $750 million (not billion, million) fund, which they have dubbed “an environmental fund,? which would investigate carbon capture and storage. Talk about too naughty too late!

But one area of Pennsylvania has some relief from OPEC and other oil suppliers – Philadelphia (surprise!) has the cheapest gas in the state, thanks to its10 percent ethanol content. The cost of ethanol at the pump is currently much lower than traditional gasoline. Requiring ethanol and biodiesel across the state could help lower everyone’s gas bill. So the good boys and girls of the Pennsylvania legislature should move quickly to pass the PennSecurity Fuels Initiative.

And speaking of the good boys and girls in Harrisburg, the state Senate, led by Senator Ted Erickson (R-Chester, Delaware), passed the Pennsylvania Climate Change Act (SB 266), by a margin of 47-3 just before Thanksgiving. Santa was very happy and gave thanks for all the senators who voted to reduce Pennsylvania contribution to the world’s global warming pollution – a full 1 percent – and move forward to be part of the solution.

The 46 other nice boys and girls who voted yes in the Senate deserve a pat on the back and, of course, if they keep it up, presents from Santa: Gibson Armstrong, Lisa Baker, Lisa Boscola, Patrick Browne, Michael Brubaker, Jake Corman, Jay Costa, Andrew Dinniman, Jane Earll, Jim Ferlo, Wayne Fontana, Vincent Fumo, John Gordner, Stewart Greenleaf, Vincent Hughes, Richard Kasunic, Shirley Kitchen, Gerald Lavalle, Sean Logan, Roger Madigan,  Charles McIlhinney, Robert Mellow, Raphael Musto, Michael O'Pake, Jane Orie, Jeffrey Piccola, Dominic Pileggi, John Pippy, Terry Punt, John Rafferty, James Rhoades, Robert Robbins, Joseph Scarnati, Michael Stack, Barry Stout, Christine Tartaglione, Robert Tomlinson, Patricia Vance, Leanna Washington, Michael Waugh, Donald White, Mary Jo White, Anthony Williams, Constance Williams, Robert Wonderling, and JohnWozniak.

You can write to Santa with your own naughty and nice list at Santa@PennFuture.org.

You may have sensed a theme at the PennFuture blog/podcast site as of late... we aren't resting until we pass Pennsylvania's vital energy independence legislation!

In this podcast, Jan Jarrett talks with our President and CEO John Hanger about the latest in Harrisburg regarding the major pieces of energy legislation that are, unfortunately, still awaiting action in the General Assembly.

With an overwhelming number of Pennsylvanians of all walks of life strongly in favor of swift and aggressive policy changes on using and making energy, and with more and more global scientific evidence detailing the devastating health, economic, and environmental consequences of failing to act on global warming, there really is no plausible explanation for delay.

The question becomes this: does the leadership in our state Capitol take the need for energy independence seriously, or are they wasting precious time and money playing political games? With the legislative session winding down before the winter break, time is of the essence.

What will it take to get the legislature to move forward? YOUR voice in the process. We urge you to listen in to get the latest update, and then take action to let your legislators know that failure is not an option.

Dear Boys and Girls,

On Saturday, a powerful report was released on global warming. The report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change synthesized previous reports in strong language, saying that if governments fail to respond, our planet faces melting ice sheets that could lead to a rapid rise in sea levels and the extinction of large numbers of species.
You probably saw the report – it was in all the papers, on television and radio and all over the Internet.

But apparently, Morgan O’Brien, president and chief executive officer of Duquesne Light Company spent his weekend in an igloo. That’s all Santa can think, since anyone being as deliberately naughty as O’Brien continues to be is unfathomable.

O’Brien testified in Harrisburg yesterday as the chief cheerleader for using more coal as the planet suffers, following up on his mailer to all the customers and a 19-page presentation on Duquesne’s (DQE) website. And despite the clear overwhelming proof that more coal equals more and more severe global warming – DQE/O’Brien never mentions global warming or the damage mining does even once in its website misinformation. Instead, DQE/O’Brien vaguely talks about “clean coal.? What’s that? Does it include capturing carbon pollution and storing it underground? O’Brien doesn’t say, though Santa thinks probably not, since coal is more expensive than conservation or renewable energy when the costs of carbon are included. And one of the worst things is that O’Brien used Santa’s and your money to make his distorted case. O’Brien’s case for more coal was mailed to every ratepayer in the territory. By putting his propaganda in with each ratepayer’s bill, he violated his obligation to use ratepayer money prudently.

Santa hears that some nice girls and boys were so mad about what O’Brien did that they switched to a competitor of Duquesne Light, saved 10 percent by doing so, complained to Duquesne Light and, when they got no satisfaction, they complained to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, which is in charge of making sure ratepayers’ money is not abused. You can make a point about O’Brien’s naughty behavior by switching to Dominion and using the 10 percent savings to buy clean renewable energy. Go to www.cleanyourair.org to see the clean energy choices.

Some nice boys and girls in Harrisburg are working even harder. Rep. Bob Freeman (D-Northampton) introduced the smart meter legislation today with bipartisan support as HB 2017 in the regular session and HB 38 in the special session. The bill requires utilities to furnish smart meters to all customers within nine years. It also requires utilities to offer all customers the voluntary option of paying electricity’s actual cost at the time they use it, rather than an average cost.

Rep. Chris Ross (R-Chester) is also a very good boy for being the first co-sponsor of the smart meter bill. Santa really likes the children of both parties, especially when they are being nice and working together so well! Senator Robert “Tommy? Tomlinson (R-Bucks) is also a nice boy for holding a hearing today on his energy conservation bill, SB 1134. And Majority Whip Keith McCall (D-Carbon) is meeting with Governor Ed Rendell where Santa is sure the energy plan will be heavily discussed.

You can reach Santa at Santa@PennFuture.org. Santa won’t be handing out his next list until next Monday at 11 AM in the Capitol newsroom because he’s so busy — Santa does all the cooking on Thanksgiving (since Mrs. Claus gets stuck on Christmas) and those elves eat a lot of pies!

Dear Boys and Girls,

Did you have a good weekend? It’s getting colder up here at the North Pole, and the reindeer are anxious to get going. Yet, if there’s no change in Pennsylvania’s energy policy, nightmarish energy bills will be all too real.

Those naughty girls and boys at Duquesne Light Company are in trouble. They sent every customer a newsletter (with their bill) that calls for what they say is the “middle ground? on state energy policy. They claim to know what’s good for their customers — and what do they say this good, middle ground is? Electricity from old polluting coal-fired power plants. The same power plants that cause acid rain, smog, soot, and mercury pollution. The same power plants that contribute to global warming, and are causing the ice at the North Pole to melt. They herald coal as cheap. Duquesne Light apparently does not know the price of coal plants has skyrocketed, causing many cancellations of coal plants around the country, even before coal plants start paying for the huge cost of carbon pollution.

And then there is the $15 billion needed to clean up the mess just in Pennsylvania from coal mining. Six thousand miles of our streams have been damaged or destroyed by acid mine pollution. One hundred and eighty thousand acres of abandoned mine land must be reclaimed. Underground mine fires must be extinguished. All that costs a lot of money. But the naughty Duquesne Light Company kids didn’t tell their customers that.

But there is a kind of Pennsylvania power plant that not only causes very little pollution, but the fuel is really, really cheap. In fact, once the plants are built, the fuel is free! Yes, you guessed it, boys and girls, Santa is talking about wind power. And Pennsylvania is not only one of the fastest growing states for wind energy, it is also becoming a hub for wind energy throughout the nation.

The nice girls and boys at Gamesa are a great example. Gamesa decided just a few years ago to build its North American headquarters and production facilities here in Pennsylvania. Now, more than 1300 Pennsylvanians are working round-the-clock to meet the demand for towers, generators and all the other parts of wind turbines. There may be as many as 1500 employed by Christmas – because even though they are working non-stop, there is a three year backlog of orders.

I hope all those nice Gamesa kids get everything they want this year – a clean environment and a booming economy.

But Santa is getting worried about the lack of action on the energy bills in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Since the governor is a Democrat and the House calendar is controlled by the Democrats, Santa really wonders why things aren’t moving along. And with the House out of session until after Thanksgiving, time is slipping away. The good news is that the House just added days to the session, so we have a little more time – 30 days as of today – to pass the Energy Independence Strategy.
Santa is pretty powerful, but he can’t pass any laws. On this one, the reins of the reindeer are in the hands of the House Democratic leadership. Giddy up, boys and girls!

If you think you should be on the nice list, send Santa an email – Santa@PennFuture.org.


Love, Santa  (R&D-North Pole)

(You can also view the list online, with pictures).

Dear Boys and Girls,

Santa is truly perplexed when boys and girls are deliberately naughty. Don’t they know I see them when they’re sleeping; I know when they’re awake; I know if they’ve been bad or good? So they should be good for goodness’ sake, shouldn’t they?

But the naughty boys and girls at the Electric Power Generation Association seem bound and determined to have a permanent place on Santa’s naughty list. It’s bad enough that they unsuccessfully fought against cutting toxic mercury from power plant pollution, so that every baby would get a great start. But now they are fighting against the Energy Independence Strategy, trying to stop Pennsylvanians from having the tools needed to use electricity smarter and cleaner.

Among the worst at EPGA are the very naughty Doug Biden and Terry Fitzpatrick .  Even though rate caps on Pennsylvanians’ electricity bills have ended in four electric utility service territories and will terminate everywhere within the next three years, resulting in higher – and for some, much higher – electricity bills, Biden and Fitzpatrick are dead set against requiring statewide energy efficiency programs. Pennsylvania is the only state in the Northeast that doesn’t have a comprehensive set of energy efficiency programs. If Pennsylvania created energy efficiency programs including incentives for high efficiency appliances, lighting, motors, and new homes that waste less energy, electric customers in the state could pay between $9 and $12 billion less for electric service over the next decade. That would mean more money in every family’s pocket, and a better business climate for all Pennsylvania’s businesses.

But Biden and Fitzpatrick claim that Pennsylvania’s electricity companies shouldn’t be compelled to give customers smart meters and other tools to manage and reduce their electricity use. They argue that the electricity companies should be able to raise their rates as much as necessary, and customers will have a “natural incentive? to use less. They also argue against increasing requirements for clean, renewable energy, instead sticking with our old and outdated “dirty dinosaur? power plants. They should realize that is certainly not being nice, and Santa is watching these very naughty children.

Santa is very happy that there has been progress on the Energy Independence Strategy. On the nice list, Governor Ed Rendell (have you ever wondered how great he would fill a Santa suit?) met with the House Democratic Caucus this week. He told them how important it was and that he really wanted them to lead the fight and pass it. I hope all the boys and girls listening decide to be nice, not naughty.

I know some are already being very nice. A little elf whispered in my ear that Camille (Bud) George (D – Clearfield), Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee), is planning to move a big part of the EIS through his committee in the near future. That makes Santa really, really happy.

If you think you should be on the nice list, send Santa an email – Santa@PennFuture.org.  

Love, Santa  (R&D-North Pole)

P.S.  About those cookies and milk. After 1700 years, it’s getting old. How about a Philadelphia cheese steak and a glass of St. Nikolaus Bock from Penn Brewery in Pittsburgh? That will really hit The Spot!

On November 14, prime sponsors of four vital pieces of legislation that will put Pennsylvania well on its way toward energy independence, together with Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty and PennFuture President and CEO John Hanger, held a press conference in the Capitol Rotunda to urge immediate action on these bills. The scheduled holiday break for this legislative session is December 12.

Listen in to this bipartisan press conference in this podcast. You will hear from Representatives Michael Gerber (D-Montgomery), who introduced the PennSecurity Fuels Initiative (HB 1202); Carole Rubley (R-Chester, Montgomery), appearing at the request of Rep. Chris Ross (R-Chester), who is prime sponsor of legislation (Special Session HB 31) to require that energy conservation programs be created in all parts of Pennsylvania so that electricity demand is stabilized at current levels; Robert Freeman (D-Northampton), sponsor of the bill (HB 2017 in the regular session and Special Session HB 38) helping consumers to save money by insuring that smart electric meters are installed for all electricity customers, so that all consumers can be paid for cutting energy demand during the times when electricity is most needed and most expensive; and Eugene DePasquale (D-York), whose legislation (Special Session HB 1) will ensure adequate funding to provide incentives for job-creating renewable energy development and money-saving energy efficiency investments to compete with surrounding states.

Representative Camille (Bud) George (D – Clearfield), Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, also participated in the press conference, saying he would do everything in his power to move these bills forward. Others attending the press conference include Representatives Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), John Hornaman (D-Erie), Chris King (D-Bucks), Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware), and Mike Vereb (R- Montgomery), among others.

To learn more about the Campaign for Energy Independence, visit our Web site. There you can also take action to urge your legislators to support these critical bills.