House Environmental Committee hears need for developing updated renewable energy standards
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus May 19, 2025 | 2:58 PM
HARRISBURG, May 19 – The state House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee held a public hearing today at the state Capitol on legislation (H.B. 501) that would create the Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard.
PRESS would replace the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards as part of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Lightning Plan for energy independence. PRESS would create thousands of family-sustaining jobs, strengthen the state’s energy grid by incentivizing storage and adding reliable renewable energy sources to Pennsylvania’s energy mix, and help the state to maintain its status as a major energy exporter.
Committee Chair Rep. Greg Vitali, D-Delaware, said that today’s hearing shone a light on where Pennsylvania stands on energy production and the immediate need for updating the state’s energy portfolio.
“We are well beyond the time to update our energy standards. Pennsylvania lags behind the rest of the country with only 4% of our energy portfolio coming from renewable sources. Today’s hearing clearly showed that Pennsylvania is falling behind other states in the production of renewable and clean energy. The goal of PRESS is to increase energy diversity and increase clean energy. With AEPS being outperformed by other states, this is the moment to act with PRESS and the governor’s Lightning Plan to strengthen our energy grid, reduce the impact of fossil fuels, and make Pennsylvania an energy leader while protecting our natural environment,” Vitali said.
Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, D-Chester, is the prime sponsor of H.B. 501 and testified to the immediate need to act on the legislation.
“PRESS is more important now than ever. We’re seeing record increases in demand for energy. When demand increases dramatically but supply does not keep up, what we see are prices increasing for consumers. As demand continues to grow, our task is to increase reliable energy on the grid. And as we do that, we have a responsibility to continue doing the work to ensure that a portion of the new resources coming onto the grid are not only reliable sources that will help to stabilize pricing and demand response, but also clean sources that will help to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change impacts,” Friel Otten said.
Evan Vaughn, from Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Coalition, testified to the benefits of the incentives in PRESS.
“MAREC Action and our member companies in the large-scale clean energy industry welcome the introduction of this legislation and stand ready to invest and create clean energy jobs in the commonwealth. Incentives from H.B. 501 combined with reasonable statewide siting requirements will reduce risk for these capital investments and make Pennsylvania a more attractive market for new clean energy power plants. The result will be a healthier, more diverse, and more reliable electricity mix for Pennsylvania ratepayers,” Vaughn said.
Patrick McDonnell, from PennFuture, lauded the comprehensive and responsible approach of PRESS to energy generation and environmental protection.
“PennFuture strongly supports PRESS because it offers a transformative approach to energy generation, which will promote the robust development of a clean energy economy while enhancing affordability for residents across the commonwealth. House Bill 501 represents a comprehensive approach to modernizing Pennsylvania's energy landscape. By setting ambitious renewable energy targets and establishing mechanisms to fund sustainable projects, the bill seeks to make energy more affordable for residents while promoting environmental stewardship,” McDonnell said.
John F. Kotek, senior vice president for policy & public affairs at the Nuclear Energy Institute, commended that PRESS looks toward the future and technological advancements currently taking place in the energy sector by including advanced nuclear resources, such as small modular reactors.
“Pennsylvania has historically been a leader on nuclear energy. House Bill 501 is notable for taking strong action to create a program for nuclear energy that will secure the long-term operation of Pennsylvania’s valuable power stations, helping to ensure that the commonwealth’s current nuclear fleet continues to save Pennsylvanians from 36.5 million metric tons of emissions. With this continued support and the dedication of the industry, NEI is confident that the U.S. will enhance its leadership role in nuclear technology and generation,” Kotek said.
Robert Bair, president of the Pennsylvania Building Trades, offered support for the bill and offered recommendations to strengthen protections for PA jobs.
“While we may have concerns with certain proposals, including some suggestions to improve H.B. 501, we want to emphasize that we are very supportive of Gov. Shapiro’s efforts to stimulate a serious discussion on energy policy with an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach and encourage that discussion,” Bair said.
Vitali said he expects to schedule H.B. 501 for consideration by the House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee in the near future.