7/17/24
Creates the "Solar for Schools Grant Program." This will allow school districts, community colleges, and career technical schools to install solar technology on their rooftops and properties to reduce their energy costs and carbon emissions, with targeted federal investments in envrionmental justice communities
The Pro-Environment Vote is “YES”.
Passed in the House (134-69), Passed in the Senate (42-7). Passed in the House on concurrence (112-90)
Final Passage
4/9/24
Under the guise of protecting the power grid, this bill will have a chilling effect on the public’s right to free speech and assembly. It creates felony penalties if someone trespasses on critical infrastructure facility properties with the "intent" to vandalize it, which creates a legal grey area that could lead to the imprisonment of someone for simply standing along a roadside or near a gate for "impeding" operations.
The Pro-Environment Vote is “NO”.
Passed in the Senate (32-18), Awaiting action in the House.
7/17/24
This bill intends to make it easier for companies engaging in carbon capture and sequestration to do business in Pennsylvania, but places the public and landowners at significant risk. It brazenly passes liability for underground CO2 storage to taxpayers, seemingly forever, once underground injections cease.
The Pro-Environment Vote is “NO”.
Passed in the Senate (30-20), Passed in the House (127-75) Passed in the Senate on Concurrence (37-12)
Final Passage
5/9/23
Requires the General Assembly to pass a concurrent resolution to approve any final-form rulemaking deemed “economically significant” before it can be implemented. If one or both chambers failed to act, the final regulation would be deemed not approved and would not be implemented, potentially halting significant environmental legislation needed to protect vulnerable communities.
The Pro-Environment Vote is “NO”.
Passed in the Senate (28-21), Awaiting action in the House.
Final Passage
5/9/23
Creates extraneous layers of bureaucracy that would place considerable time and capacity strains on agencies and the Independent Regulatory Review Commission without any new funding or support.
The Pro-Environment Vote is “NO”.
Passed in the Senate (28-21), Awaiting action in the House.
Final Passage
5/10/23
Provides for third party permitting which will force agencies to allow private companies to make permitting decisions without clear oversight.
The Pro-Environment Vote is “NO”.
Passed in the Senate (29-19), Awaiting action in the House.
Final Passage
3/7/23
By only limiting, rather than ending, the use of PFAS in firefighting foam, this bill will continue to put Pennsylvania’s communities and firefighters at risk of exposure and contamination.
The Pro-Environment Vote is “NO”.
Passed in the Senate (36-14), Awaiting action in the House.
Final Passage
5/1/24
The DEP already has an Energy Programs Office, making this legislation extraneous. Additionally, it contains provisions that could put hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funding at risk.
The Pro-Environment Vote is “NO”.
Passed in the Senate (28-22), Awaiting action in the House.
Final Passage
3/8/23
Takes away communities' ability to incentivize the use of renewable energy or limit fossil fuel use in residential properties.
The Pro-Environment Vote is “NO”.
Passed in the Senate (40-9), Awaiting action in the House.
Final Passage
5/22/23
Harasses and disenfranchises voters by requiring ‘valid identification,’ which will disproportionately harm elderly and minority voters, robbing them of their constitutional right to vote.
The Pro-Environment Vote is “NO”.
Passed in the Senate (28-20), Awaiting action in the House.
The Pennsylvania Environmental Scorecard rates each member of the State Senate and House on their environmental voting record using the most crucial environmental votes that the Pennsylvania General Assembly took during the current legislative session. The Scorecard holds state legislators accountable for their votes on clean water, air pollution, climate change, and environmental justice, and other environmental issues that affect all Pennsylvanians.
To compile these scores, our organizations worked with dozens of other environmental advocates, activists, and leaders to ensure that we are reviewing and scoring the most important and highly watched environmental votes, and that we are educating legislators on the environmental impacts of the legislation in question. A lifetime score was also given for each legislator. This score reflects their pro-environment voting record going back to the 2007-2008 legislative session. This adds greater context to each legislator’s position on environmental issues over time. When a bill is voted on in each chamber and has remained largely the same, our coalition will score the bill in each chamber. If there are significant differences in bill versions, we may score it in only one chamber.
We invite you to look up your lawmakers to see how they scored, and then ask them to do better in the next legislative session – or thank them if they’re one of our champs!
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