AEPS Bill Moving with Several Amendments
The House is preparing to vote on a series of at least 30 amendments to HB 80, sponsored by Rep. Greg Vitali (D, Delaware) next week. The bill amends the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS) Act of 2004 by doubling the percentage of power required to be produced by renewable sources such as wind and solar, to 20 percent by 2026 from the current standard of 8 percent by 2021.

The bill would also require electric distribution companies to get at least 3 percent of their electricity from coal-fired plants that capture and sequester carbon by 2015. A companion bill was also introduced in the State Senate. According to PennFuture, passage of HB 80 would result in doubling the amount of wind power produced in Pennsylvania, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 16 million tons a year, increase the amount of solar power by a factor of six, and lead to the development of 10,000 megawatts of new renewable energy generation.

Amendments filed to date on the bill include proposals to add nuclear uprates into Tier I, changes to the carbon sequestration provisions, increases in solar thermal requirements for Tier I, tax credits for alternative energy produced on brownfields, and expanding use of municipal solid waste and residual waste for electricity production in Tier II.

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