![]() “We don’t need barriers to stop that growth and development but we do need protection,” he said, “and I see it as: If we rush through it, we may miss something that we could have prevented.”īoozel noted environmental issues don’t usually come up when he works with Metcalfe on county issues. Several bills before Metcalfe’s committee would loosen rules or try to speed up permit processing times. She said she thinks Metcalfe will find that balance “guided by those who are around him.”īoozel said he’s concerned about relaxing regulations on drilling. “I think that there has to be a balance of what humans and the economy calls for against what the realities are of climate change,” Osche said. She said the county has a long history of balancing environmental protection and industry. Osche said the county is home to many sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts who want to see natural resources protected. Republican Commission Chair Leslie Osche said she believes constituents would be concerned about any move at the state level that would stifle the gas industry’s growth. The county is a leader in manufacturing and has benefitted from the rise in natural gas drilling.ĭemocratic Commissioner Kevin Boozel said they created an infrastructure bank with impact fees from drilling and have now financed $40 million worth of projects that would not have been done otherwise. Metcalfe represents a portion of southern Butler County that covers some quickly-growing Pittsburgh suburbs as well as more rural areas. “You need to know what the possible is for them and understand why they may not be able to support an issue or might strongly support that issue,” Miller said. He said, as chairman, it was important for him to understand where his members were coming from. Miller chaired the committee in the 2013-14 session, when he said things were less divisive in Harrisburg. Ron Miller, a former Republican state representative from York County, said the problem with discussing climate solutions is that it’s emotional people treat it as an issue with no common ground. He said it’s better to show up prepared and ask questions that make it clear where the science stands. “Even though we have radical differences on policy, I do think he is sincere in these extreme right wing views he holds,” Vitali said. ![]() Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), Metcalfe’s Democratic counterpart on the environmental resources committee and near polar opposite, politically, said he’s learned it’s pointless to get upset over Metcalfe’s rhetoric in meetings. ![]() “It’s so backwards to debate the existence of climate change.” “I would like to see a move away from politics and moving into the practicality of how do we get this thing done,” Marinov said. She noted Pennsylvania has a responsibility to reduce emissions its emissions are the fifth-largest in the United States and larger than some small countries. She said she went to speak about the scientific consensus on climate change: humans are warming the planet by burning fossil fuels and emissions need to be cut dramatically in the next decades to avoid the worst consequences of that warming.īut she wasn’t expecting to present alongside a slate of climate deniers. University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Irina Marinov was shocked by the skepticism she faced when she appeared before the committee in 2019. The fact that Metcalfe dismisses climate science - and lawmakers who disagree with him - takes on special significance because he’s the head of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, where he’s in a prime spot to block legislation that could address climate change. Last term, he equated climate change with seasonal weather, said predictions about the dangers of climate change are fiction, and implied carbon dioxide can’t be a pollutant because plants use it as food. Metcalfe did not respond to requests for comment for this story.īut he’s more than willing to voice his opinion during committee meetings. In his tenure, he has invited climate change deniers to testify at hearings, criticized the governor’s attempts to address climate change as overreach and unconstitutional, and tried to loosen a number of environmental regulations. It’s a familiar theme for Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), who is chairing the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee for the second straight term. ![]() This week, for Earth Day, President Joe Biden is holding a virtual summit with world leaders to discuss the climate crisis.Īlso this week, Republican leaders in Pennsylvania’s capital showcased the oil and gas industry as good environmental stewards. What does that mean for climate action in Pa.? The House environment committee chair dismisses climate science.
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