PennEnvironment Calls on Congress to Repower America with Clean
Energy for Consumers and Environment
Philadelphia, PA - Between 2010 and 2030, Pennsylvania will spend as
much as $1.07 trillion on oil, coal, and other fossil fuels—3.4 times
the total earnings of all Pennsylvania workers in 2007—according to a
new report released today by PennEnvironment. At the same time,
pollution from fossil fuels is the number one source of air and global
warming pollution and a leading source of water pollution.
High spending on fossil fuels is largely driven by our dependence on
oil, according to the analysis. Pennsylvania is on track to spend as
much as $42.8 billion on oil alone in 2030, 74 percent of the state’s
total spending on fossil fuels.
“This Independence Day, we are calling on Congress to break our
dependence on fossil fuels,” said Nathan Willcox, Energy & Clean
Air Advocate for PennEnvironment. “Instead of allowing the costs of
fossil fuels to continue to mount, Congress should repower America with
clean, renewable energy that will create jobs and stop global warming.”
Nationally, in 2006, U.S. consumers and businesses spent $921 billion
on fossil fuels – more than was spent on education or the military.
The country is on track to spend between $23 trillion and $30 trillion
on fossil fuels between 2010 and 2030, the high end of which is more
than double the nation’s total economic output in 2007.
These figures do not include the untold damages to our environment,
health, and society resulting from the production and use of fossil
fuels – such as global warming, air and water pollution, mountaintop
mining, and oil spills. “Every additional dollar we spend on fossil
fuels just buys us more global warming pollution, more smog, and more
asthma attacks,” continued Willcox.
In contrast, moving to clean energy – wind turbines, solar panels, and
energy-efficient homes and buildings – would save money, even excluding
the additional benefits for the environment, health, and security. For
instance, a recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists found
that transitioning to clean energy would cut costs in this region of
the country by $810 per household annually and save consumers and
business a total of $33 billion annually in 2030. In addition, clean
energy creates jobs here at home, since clean energy projects tend to
be labor intensive and cannot be outsourced.
“When the choice is between paying to uphold a dirty polluting status
quo and investing in a new direction for America, clean energy is the
clear winner,” Christa Owens an activist with the Sierra Student
Coalition in Pittsburgh. Showing the results of a recent photo
petition Owens said “America’s youth is ready for energy independence.”
On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Clean
Energy & Security Act (H.R. 2454) , historic legislation that
creates a framework for moving to a clean energy economy and curbing
global warming.
“We applaud U.S. Representatives Bob Brady, Mike Doyle, Chaka Fattah,
Paul Kanjorski, Patrick Murphy, John Murtha, Allyson Schwartz and Joe
Sestak for supporting this bill, but we are disappointed that
Pennsylvania's other U.S. Representatives voted against it. Now is the
time for bold and meaningful action on clean energy and global
warming,” said Willcox. “The Senate now must strengthen and pass this
critical bill. We urge Senators Specter and Casey to move quickly to
enact strong solutions for a clean energy economy and stopping global
warming.”
PennEnvironment’s report uses government data to quantify current and
projected spending on fossil fuels nationally and by state. The
report, "The High Cost of Fossil Fuels: Why America Can’t Afford to
Depend on Dirty Energy", includes the following findings:
• Pennsylvania will spend as much as $1,578 more per person every
year on fossil fuels in 2030, if we stay on our current energy path.
• In 2006, Pennsylvania spent $2,940 per capita on fossil fuels. In
2030, that figure is expected to rise to between $3,515 and $4,519 for
every man, woman, and child in the state—as much as a 54 percent
increase.
