Green Party of Pennsylvania
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, May 25, 2024
CONTACT:
Chris Robinson, Communication Team Co-Leader
215-843-4256 and [email protected]
PA Greens Join Others for Safe, Affordable Energy
Philadelphia City Council will soon approve a FY 2025 Capital Budget for Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW). POWER Interfaith and eight other environmental justice organizations have now requested City Council to adopt an amendment requiring PGW to justify its request for $19 million to build new gas infrastructure (“load growth”). POWER says, “The Capital Program Protocols that City Council has enacted as binding law require PGW to substantiate proposed load growth projects with a showing that they will produce an acceptable return on investment.”
The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) Steering Committee signed onto the POWER request on May 19. GPPA Co-chair Jeremy Griffin said, “I am so glad the Green Party has signed off on this. PGW does not need to be creating any new fossil fuel infrastructure. In fact, no for-profit company needs to be creating any new fossil fuel infrastructure. Since 2006, ‘Keep It in the Ground’ has been a major demand by environmentalists. I’m so glad that the Green Party took a stand against fracking in 2008. Also, it is good to see this environmental justice demand spread to other organizations.”
The Gas Commission has submitted its budget proposal without the required cost-benefit analysis. For this reason, groups are now requesting City Council to amend the GPW budget to require an analysis. POWER Interfaith says, “Such an amendment will protect ratepayers, particularly low-income residents who struggle with unaffordable energy bills. It will also start to bring PGW’s budgeting process into alignment with our City’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal. In addition, it will uphold City law.”
Further, the POWER Interfaith letter to City Council says, “PGW’s proposed budget is not aligned with the City’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal, it does not account for the accelerating pace of building electrification and investment in building efficiency upgrades in our city, and it ignores the PGW Capital Program Protocols that City Council has enacted. City Council must act to protect ratepayers and ensure that PGW follows City law.”
"We can’t let City Council forget Philadelphia's climate goals,” said GPPA Steering Committee Member Alex Casper. “If PGW is allowed to build new gas infrastructure, it will raise our cost of living. The Green Party’s Ten Key Values call for us to stand up to City Council when they want to take money out of the pockets of our residents and accelerate the catastrophe of climate change. Natural gas is far more destructive than other fossil fuels. I also believe it is vitally important for the Green Party to work with other community organizations to sign on to demands like this and to boost their initiatives to hold City Council accountable."
The following environmental justice organizations have signed onto the POWER Interfaith letter to Philadelphia City Council: Citizens Climate Lobby Philly Chapter, Clean Air Council, Green Party of Pennsylvania, Green Party of Philadelphia, Philly DSA, Philly Thrive, Physicians for Social Responsibility PA, and Sierra Club PA.
The Green Party of PA, https://www.gpofpa.org, is an independent political party which stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please email [email protected]. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.
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