Pa. Asks for Help in Forming Climate Change Plan
The Climate Change Advisory Committee is inviting technical experts and members of the public to help develop recommendations that may be included in an action plan for Pennsylvania to address this pressing environmental and economic challenge.
"The complexity of the challenges involving climate change demands that we bring together the highest level of expertise possible and invite the public to offer their input during this important process," said Department of Environmental Protection acting Secretary John Hanger. "This is an opportunity to help develop an action plan that will play a critical role in keeping our economy competitive and ensuring a cleaner, healthier environment for our children and future generations."
Hanger added that everyone is encouraged to participate, regardless of their level of technical expertise. Those interested in serving in a technical or sector-specific expert capacity should send via e-mail their name, contact information, resume, and the name of the subcommittee on which they wish to serve to epclimatecommittee@state.pa.us. Established subcommittees include: Electricity Generation, Transportation and Distribution; Industry and Waste; Land Use and Transportation; Residential and Commercial; and Agriculture and Forestry.
DEP will forward all requests to the committee members for their consideration. Participants will serve without compensation and will not have committee voting rights. Members of the public who are not formally functioning as technical or sector-specific experts are invited to attend subcommittee proceedings. The primary duties of the subcommittees are to propose new greenhouse gas reduction options; review, discuss and rank greenhouse gas reduction options; and make recommendations to the full committee regarding which reduction options to recommend to DEP for inclusion in the climate change action plan.
The Climate Change Advisory Committee, established under the Pennsylvania Climate Change Act (Act 70), is charged with advising the DEP on actions related to climate change and Act 70, such as creating a report on potential climate change impacts and economic opportunities for the commonwealth, and developing an action plan to identify cost-effective strategies to reduce or offset the state's greenhouse gas emissions.
For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: Public Participation, then click on "Advisory Committees."