2009-06-22 18:16:06 -

Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture), joined by groups and individuals from across the state, sent a letter today to three members of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), Vice Chair Tyrone Christy; Commissioner Kim Pizzingrilli; and Commissioner Robert Powelson, condemning the memo they recently sent to the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation, purporting to be an analysis of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) currently before Congress.

The letter, written by Jan Jarrett, president and CEO of PennFuture, says in part, “In your memo, you failed to disclose that the study which you cite is not an analysis of H.R. 2454, but rather an analysis of the Warner-Lieberman Climate Change Act of 2007. The analysis you provided is simply inaccurate

and entirely misleading and your distribution of this study as fact to Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation is clearly not in the public interest.

“The citizens of Pennsylvania and our Congressional delegation expect better of their public officials than to engage in this kind of deception,” Jarrett said. She asks that the Commissioners distribute a clarifying memo to the Congressional delegation, and requests a meeting with the three.

The PennFuture letter was copied to Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation; Governor Edward Rendell; PUC Chair James Cawley; PUC Commissioner Wayne Gardner; Pennsylvania State Senators Joseph Scarnati, Dominick Pileggi, Robert Tomlinson and Lisa Boscola; Pennsylvania State Representatives Keith McCall, Todd Eachus, Sam Smith, Joe Preston, and Robert Godshall; and the members of the Climate Change Advisory Committee.

“Passage of legislation to cut our global warming pollution is absolutely necessary to safeguard our climate and economy,” said Jarrett. “The debate on the crucial issues must be based on facts, not misinformation. Commissioners Christy, Pizzingrilli and Powelson should send another memo to the congressional delegation revealing the real source of the information they distributed.”


A number of organizations and individuals joined PennFuture in signing the letter, including Marcus Sheffer, Principal, Energy Opportunities, Inc./a 7group Company, Wellsville; Ann Gerace, Executive Director, Conservation Consultants, Inc., Pittsburgh; Michele Sands, Chair, SEEDS of NE PA (Sustainable Energy Education & Development Support), Tyler Hill; Wes Hamilton, Attorney-at-Law, Zelienople; Sue Hoffman, MPP, Board Director, Mishkan Shalom Synagogue, Philadelphia; A. Sherwood Johnson, DVM, Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center, Pittsburgh; Kate Ward, Associate Director, Philadelphia Physicians for Social Responsibility, Philadelphia; Nathan Willcox, Energy and Clean Air Advocate, PennEnvironment, Philadelphia; Joy Bergey, Director, Pennsylvania Interfaith Climate Change Campaign, Philadelphia; Ted Glick, Policy Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Maryland and Virginia locations; Joseph Otis Minott, Esq., Executive Director, Clean Air Council, Philadelphia; Steve Weinberg, National Foundry Products, Inc., Philadelphia; George Abar, the Alliance for a Fair and Effective Climate Policy, Washington, D.C.; and Myron Arnowitt, Pennsylvania State Director, Clean Water Action, Pittsburgh.

A copy of the letter is available on the PennFuture website at www.pennfuture.org/UserFiles09/LetterToPUC06-19-09.pdf :



Citizens for Pennsylvania's FutureHeather Sage, 412-258-6681 info@pennfuture.org : mailto:info@pennfuture.org www.pennfuture.org :