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For Immediate Release
June 3, 2009
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Senate Approves
White Bill Extending Deadline for PA Climate Change Action Plan
Three-month extension ensures public input, credibility of plan.
Harrisburg – The state Senate today unanimously approved legislation sponsored
by Sen. Mary Jo White (R-21) to extend the deadline faced by the state
Department of Environmental Protection for submitting a Pennsylvania Climate
Change Action Plan.
Act 70 of 2008 requires DEP to submit a plan by October 9. The department has acknowledged it will miss the deadline, but it
cannot do so without a statutory extension.
Senate Bill 829 extends the deadline by three months, said White, who chairs
the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.
White said the measure ensures
that the public has a 60-day public comment period before the plan is finalized,
and ensures an opportunity for the public's comments and recommendations to be
incorporated into the final plan.
"The Senate takes the issue of
climate change seriously," said White. "To ensure the credibility of any
recommendations put forth by the Governor on climate change, it is imperative
that the final plan be the product of a robust public input and review process
as envisioned by the Act 70, the Pennsylvania Climate Change Act."
Act 70 was sponsored by Sen. Ted
Erickson (R-26) and was amended by Senator White to create the Climate Change
Advisory Committee within DEP. The committee voted last week to endorse passage
of Senate Bill 829.
For more information on this and
other environmental legislation, visit
senatormjwhite.com and
click on "Environmental Resources and Energy."
CONTACT:
Pat Henderson
(717) 787-9684
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