HARRISBURG, Pa. - The House on Wednesday added more money for wind power, environmentally friendly buildings and more efficient home heating systems to a centerpiece of Gov. Ed Rendell's energy proposal.
The House also voted to earmark $25 million to help pay for new pollution-control equipment at smaller power plants that burn coal. Overall, the bill would authorize $850 million to promote cleaner energy sources such as solar manufacturing, advanced coal technologies and biofuels, and to encourage people to conserve electricity.
An amendment that passed 173-28 on Wednesday would designate $30 million for grants and loans to develop wind energy and the manufacture of wind energy turbines.
"For every dollar we spend in wind energy investment, we can leverage 12 in the private sector," said Majority Whip Keith McCall, D-Carbon.
The House also allocated $5 million for low-interest loans to people who install more energy efficient systems to heat their homes, and $25 million for high-performance "green" buildings.
Rep. Matt Smith, D-Allegheny, cited estimates that those grants will help complete more than 300 green buildings.A Republican-sponsored amendment that would have gutted the bill and replaced it with a scaled-back, $250 million program was defeated 130-70.
The bill awaits a final vote in the House. Similar legislation passed the state Senate in December.
View also:
Geotherma.info Investing in Geothermal Energy
SolarIntell.com Renewable Energy Investing
No comments:
Post a Comment