HARRISBURG, PA – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) today announced the start of a statewide campaign designed to educate Pennsylvania policymakers, families and businesses about the benefits of energy and the central role it plays in their everyday lives and budget.
CEA’s “Campaign for America’s Energy” will highlight the importance of affordable, reliable energy in the lives of families and businesses and the consequences that result from bad policy decisions. CEA will continue to hold the energy industry in Pennsylvania and throughout its neighboring states to a high safety standard while recognizing the need for continued innovation to advance environmental goals.
The launch of this movement, aimed at changing, balancing and improving the energy discussion so that those directly impacted – American families and businesses – have a greater voice in the dialogue. The effort will encourage elected officials and those in the Keystone State to adopt policies that support energy production and delivery as well as sound environmental stewardship. Specifically in Pennsylvania, the Campaign will focus on key energy issues, including the proposed severance tax, workforce development, domestic and international exports, and how to expand energy infrastructure in a thoughtful way, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.
CEA also aims to bring greater awareness to how rejecting or delaying energy production and infrastructure projects hurts lower-income households and those on fixed incomes. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Pennsylvanians spend over $3,500 annually on energy. For a low-income Pennsylvanian living at the poverty line, that translates to over 29 percent of their individual income. These expenses often saddle households who can least afford them, especially like the almost 18 percent of Keystone State residents who are seniors.
“Political rhetoric has clouded the importance of Pennsylvania’s energy production and delivery to the state’s families and small businesses,” said Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry President and CEO Gene Barr. “Our diverse energy portfolio, along with policies that will improve infrastructure, play a critical role in the accessibility to affordable energy throughout the Commonwealth. That’s why it’s important that CEA’s Campaign for America’s Energy helps to remind our elected leaders of the opportunity Pennsylvania’s energy resources provide and to understand how energy needs can be met while we also protecting our environment.”
“Pennsylvanians shouldn’t have to choose between heating their homes, buying a meal, or filling a medical prescription, yet for too many, that’s precisely what’s happening – and energy costs are a big reason why,” said Mike Butler, Executive Director, CEA-Mid-Atlantic. “Yes, we agree: We must push energy companies to innovate, reduce emissions and improve performance. Protecting and improving the environment is a must-do. But so is lowering the cost of energy, and we can only do this if Democrats and Republicans work together to push more balanced legislation.”
CEA, an advocacy organization representing families, manufacturers, agriculture, transporters, distributors, energy producers, renewables and various other industries in Pennsylvania and across the U.S., focuses on helping ensure stable prices and energy security for households across the country. The organization pushes energy companies to innovate and improve performance while supporting energy independence and a diversification of our energy resources, including renewables like solar and wind.
For more information on the campaign, visit www.consumerenergyalliance.org/campaign-for-americas-energy/Pennsylvania.
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About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) brings together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers and manufacturers to support America’s energy future. With more than 450,000 members nationwide, our mission is to help ensure stable prices and energy security for households across the country. We believe energy development is something that touches everyone in our nation, and thus it is necessary for all of us to actively engage in the conversation about how we develop our diverse energy resources and energy’s importance to the economy. Learn more at ConsumerEnergyAlliance.org.
Contact:
Emily Haggstrom
P: 720-582-0242
ehaggstrom@consumerenergyalliance.org