The PA Environmental Council held its 2nd Annual Environmental Policy Conference Tuesday in Harrisburg which heard from a variety of speakers, including the keynote address by DEP Secretary John Quigley.

The Conference featured panels on Pennsylvania and the EPA Clean Power Climate Plan, Chesapeake Bay Challenges and Opportunities and Stormwater Management and Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems.

Here are a sampling of interviews from participants in the Conference made available by PEC--

-- Kathleen Robertson, Environmental Fuels and Policy Manager, Exelon Corporation, discusses the need for business certainty in Gov. Wolf's proposed Pennsylvania Clean Energy Climate Plan;

-- Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), Minority Chair of the House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee, discusses Gov. Wolf's proposed Energy Investment Initiative and the recent update to the Climate Impact Assessment for Pennsylvania;

-- Lee Ann Murray, Assistant Director of the PA Office of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, discusses the challenges and opportunities surrounding remediation of the bay; and

-- John Schombert, Executive Director of the 3 Rivers Wet Weather in Pittsburgh, discusses the issues of controlling stormwater management and CSO’s throughout Pennsylvania.

Rep. Kate Harper (R-Montgomery), Majority Chair of the House Local Government Committee, told the Conference the Senate and House passed dozens of bills Gov. Wolf signed into law, in spite of the budget impasse.

She said those supporting Wolf’s budget proposals have to look at legislators and the concerns they represent from their districts if they want to get the budget and other initiatives passed. 

She noted she introduced her own natural gas severance tax proposal, yet she felt she had to vote against the tax packaged offered in the House recently because of the Personal Income Tax increase bundled with it.

Rep. Harper said there are ways to get things done, but it takes a lot of work on the details.

Click Here to hear comments on PEC and its role on environmental issues from Rep. Harper.

Save the date: Next year’s PEC Environmental Policy Conference will be held on September 27, 2016 at the Hilton in Harrisburg.

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