On Tuesday's episode of The PCN Capitol Preview, House Energy Committee Chairs, Majority Chair Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler and Minority Chair Rep. Martin Causer, discuss the state’s energy policy. Later, Rep. Greg Scott talks about his bill to regulate PFAS forever chemical usage in PA.
00:00 - The following program is sponsored in part by
00:04 - customer's bank.
00:16 - Welcome to the pcn capital preview I'm Larry Casper
00:20 - our subject today is energy policy in Pennsylvania but first we're joined by Cara
00:26 - jeffers
00:27 - Harrisburg correspondent at Lilly broadcasting welcome to our program.
00:33 - Thank you
00:33 - Cara you filed a story about a cannabis control board plan
00:38 - that was voted down by the senate but first
00:41 - tell us what purpose
00:42 - was this panel to have served.
00:46 - The cannabis control board
00:47 - sb forty nine was introduced by sen Dan laughlin he's republican up from erie county
00:54 - one of the few Republicans in
00:56 - the state senate who is vocal about his support for
01:00 - legalizing
01:01 - cannabis and adult use canvas
01:03 - Pennsylvania already has a medical program.
01:06 - That is kind of controlled by the department of health
01:09 - it has been a long time conversation of if we should
01:13 - legalize full adult use cannabis it's been
01:16 - talks about revenue and what sources would that help fill in
01:20 - the state cover full legalization hasn't had
01:23 - as much conversation this year the thing that
01:26 - has been brought up by laughlin is this cannabis control board
01:31 - for him at this board is not about legalizing cannabis but it's kind of creating the
01:36 - government
01:37 - entity
01:38 - a framework where
01:40 - all things cannabis in the state
01:42 - would be
01:43 - entitled governed enforced regulate
01:46 - by this
01:47 - control board you could imagine we have our liquor control board we have gaming
01:51 - control boards this just beat the cannabis control board
01:55 - the medical department that
01:56 - the medical program that is currently in the department
01:59 - of health would come under control of this new board
02:02 - and and
02:03 - there is this.
02:05 - Hemp
02:06 - is is
02:07 - federally legal definitions are changing
02:09 - soon at the federal level but this is kind of
02:11 - when you go into gas stations and you see delta
02:13 - eight and you're like why is this fully accessible in
02:17 - a
02:17 - Gas stations
02:19 - kind of those types of cannabis products could be
02:21 - regulated by this board is what law from this that
02:24 - and then if
02:25 - cannabis was ever fully legalized in the future it
02:28 - would also fall under this authority so that is the
02:31 - purpose of the control board as laughlin has described it
02:35 - or governor shapiro asked the Democratic party in the senate to vote no
02:39 - on this control panel why did he do that.
02:43 - I did get a statement from the governor's office
02:46 - they said that again
02:47 - the governor's really pushing for a
02:50 - full regulation full regulatory
02:54 - legalization of
02:56 - adult use cannabis full use
02:58 - and the idea is that if we can
03:00 - legalize it then we can also tax it
03:03 - if we can tax it and that's another source of revenue.
03:06 - Cannabis.
03:08 - Legislation has a long history
03:11 - throughout the entire country of what does this mean for criminal justice as well
03:15 - so it sounds like the ship your administration sent down.
03:18 - There were multiple democrats who were
03:21 - co-sponsors on the senate legislation.
03:24 - We had I believe at least six
03:27 - and
03:27 - and
03:28 - most of the I think there were two
03:30 - senate democrats who voted in favor of the legislation but everyone else voted against
03:34 - again because shapiro it mister administration
03:38 - asking
03:38 - for them to not
03:39 - put that vote out.
03:41 - That.
03:42 - I'd leave whenever I got that statement from his office
03:46 - definitely this belief that there can be a more robust.
03:50 - System in place they don't necessarily want the cannabis control board as
03:55 - either this compromise situation or they might not like
03:58 - the.
04:00 - Having that entity as the one controlling canvas for the future
04:04 - well let's get back to governor shapiro just
04:06 - for a minute consider that he had proposed
04:08 - putting the agriculture department in charge of
04:11 - cannabis programs and what's the reaction from lawmakers how do they feel about it.
04:17 - So and I guess to set up a bit of this was
04:20 - quite a bit of political.
04:22 - Intrigue when it happened last week
04:25 - very rarely do senate Republicans who have the majority in
04:28 - the senate bring up a bill that they're not sure will pass
04:31 - and this was one of those bills that
04:33 - we weren't sure if it would pass and sure enough
04:35 - we had six republican senators who voted against it
04:38 - the idea was that hey there are senate democrats who support this maybe they'll
04:42 - come through and they'll get the bill to go through
04:45 - and so when senate democrats fell through the question
04:48 - was kind of made of like oh
04:49 - I guess this
04:50 - is not passing that was where the politics kind of came into play
04:55 - and like you said there are a lot
04:57 - have ideas on
04:58 - how
04:59 - cannabis should be regulated within the state
05:02 - even within
05:03 - house democrats and senate democrats there's been different ideas on if we want
05:08 - state controlled stores to be selling these products or do we want the.
05:13 - Products
05:13 - of
05:14 - Existing medical dispensaries to maybe have like first
05:17 - dibs on some of the licensing agreements that are there
05:20 - so
05:21 - There's still this ideological split within a Harrisburg on
05:26 - do we even
05:27 - legalized full adult use cannabis you might have
05:29 - some Republicans who are still in that legalized.
05:32 - In that more ideological split
05:34 - however there are a lot of
05:35 - ideas on
05:36 - how to regular hate it and I think that contributed to.
05:40 - The governor's asking for a no vote on this
05:42 - as well as the multitude of opinions that you hear from lawmakers who
05:47 - they like the idea of cannabis legalization
05:49 - there's just lots of ways to go about it
05:51 - for our viewers who are just tuning into this issue Kara
05:55 - can you review what the problems are within the medical marijuana pra.
06:00 - Program here in Pennsylvania that lawmakers want to resolve.
06:04 - Yeah that's something I haven't written about
06:07 - quite as much but I said
06:08 - I know when listening into health committees and talking with
06:12 - lawmakers
06:13 - there is concern that.
06:15 - Medical our medical program is it is.
06:19 - Easy
06:19 - to get a card
06:21 - and say hey I have a medical issue I think it can be helped with
06:24 - marijuana
06:25 - and cannabis and
06:27 - allow me to go to these dispensaries that exist and
06:30 - test that out.
06:31 - There's not really a lot
06:33 - of specific prescription
06:35 - that happens
06:36 - and if someone says I have anxiety or I get headaches the solution is to well here's
06:42 - a card and you can basically go shop for yourself
06:44 - at these medical dispensaries and
06:46 - kind of self medicate what you think is the right way to address your medical issues
06:52 - so there's kind of some concern from people that we
06:55 - call it a medical program but we're not sure how how.
06:59 - Medically
07:00 - designed
07:02 - it is
07:02 - it's not the denial that their research does
07:05 - show that cannabis can assist in different.
07:08 - Health areas and health issues
07:10 - but
07:11 - our program isn't necessarily.
07:14 - Designed
07:15 - to operate with that way so there's a question on if
07:18 - we could do some reform within that
07:19 - what would that look like if we got
07:21 - full adult use would anything change in how our medical system operates
07:26 - Cara jeffers Harrisburg correspondent
07:28 - Lilly broadcasting thanks for being here.
07:32 - Thank you
07:33 - more of the pcn cap it a preview after
07:36 - a short break.
07:38 - Welcome back our guests are represented Martin causer
07:42 - the minority chair of the pa house energy committee
07:46 - and representative Elizabeth Fiedler
07:48 - majority chair
07:49 - of the pa house energy
07:51 - committee welcome to our program.
07:54 - Good morning.
07:56 - Thank you for having us represent a Fiedler let's start
07:59 - with you data centers are coming to Pennsylvania to
08:02 - accommodate the demand for artificial intelligence
08:06 - they're going to need a lot of energy namely water
08:09 - and electricity just how ready is Pennsylvania for them.
08:14 - So data centres are something that a lot of
08:16 - people are talking about but of course in Harrisburg
08:19 - but also here in my district in south Philly
08:21 - and as you said we know that
08:24 - a lot of the technology that folks rely on in their daily life
08:28 - are part of those developments that we're talking about artificial intelligence
08:32 - video conferencing all these things I have very
08:34 - high demand of energy a very high energy needs.
08:38 - These are things that are part of regular life whether it's that we're talking about
08:42 - students doing research and online classes
08:44 - or folks whose job is
08:46 - online people who want to experience virtual
08:49 - reality or rather artificial intelligence all those sorts of things that no one could
08:54 - have imagined ten twenty fifty years ago
08:57 - so we are using a lot of energy and that is expected to only increase data centers
09:02 - are certainly a piece of it and we are very proud to have passed I
09:06 - have got eighteen thirty four this is legislation
09:09 - that belongs to my colleague Rob maxey
09:11 - that passed the house one afford four to ninety five and it re really creates the
09:15 - very first framework in Pennsylvania
09:17 - for data centers operating here
09:20 - and it calls on those huge developers to be good
09:22 - neighbors to the people who are already here
09:24 - and that absolutely includes
09:26 - use of natural resources like you mentioned
09:29 - that includes.
09:30 - Making sure that they are getting more renewable energy online making sure that they
09:34 - are general writing their own energy and not taking it from the grid
09:37 - which is something that we all rely on
09:39 - making sure they aren't doing that
09:41 - and also has them contribute to
09:43 - lie heap which is a program that helps a lot of people in need
09:47 - in this commonwealth be able to keep their utilities on
09:50 - so it's really
09:51 - it's a large bill again it is the first regulatory framework passed
09:55 - in Pennsylvania I am proud that we passed this in the house
09:58 - and
09:59 - the exit is a bigger key piece of
10:01 - regulatory infrastructure the protections we need to put in place
10:05 - here in Pennsylvania
10:06 - at these huge developments come in and
10:09 - move rather quickly I'll also mention that we passed house
10:11 - bill twenty one fifty one which belongs to my colleague.
10:15 - Here from the Scranton area but past one twenty four to seventy seven we picked up
10:20 - quite a few votes on both sides of the aisle
10:22 - and it creates an optional model ordinance I want to emphasize
10:26 - optional
10:27 - and model
10:28 - so we know one size does not fit all for different
10:31 - municipalities across the commonwealth but this is
10:34 - optional language that look elected officials could look at
10:37 - if one of these data centers is proposed for their area they could look at it
10:41 - pick and choose which pieces are relevant to their needs to help them protect their
10:45 - community get the benefits that they need
10:47 - and really put in place what however strict or.
10:51 - Measures they want and it really just provides
10:53 - them with language you know does look old
10:55 - officials are expected to juggle an awful lot
10:58 - and this is just a tool that we can give them as the state
11:01 - or how about you represent them cause they're represented Fiedler.
11:04 - Said that ten years ago we couldn't have imagined
11:07 - this demand on our energy grid as far as data center
11:11 - preparedness goes.
11:13 - While.
11:14 - I
11:14 - Agree with the chairwoman that we couldn't have imagined the
11:17 - activity right now
11:18 - but we should have been laying the groundwork
11:21 - for additional energy opportunities in the state
11:23 - and now
11:25 - we know the data centers are coming to Pennsylvania we we also know that there
11:29 - are
11:30 - there are large consumers of energy
11:32 - and we need energy policy that
11:35 - that
11:35 - provides for for that growth and development
11:39 - I think it's important for us to recognize that
11:42 - these data centers are coming many of them are already here
11:45 - and more are coming
11:47 - we need to
11:48 - to make sure that first and foremost we're protecting.
11:52 - Consumers and pencil pena we know that
11:55 - electric bills are increasing
11:57 - and
11:58 - we have a supply and demand issue in Pennsylvania where
12:02 - demand for energy is increasing.
12:05 - Supply.
12:07 - Has been decreasing and I think that we need energy policy
12:11 - that provides for additional
12:14 - us supply in Pennsylvania so that to what whether it's data
12:18 - centers or other industry that's coming to Pennsylvania
12:22 - we can be prepared
12:24 - for that growth and development
12:26 - and having a policy of having energy policy in Pennsylvania that
12:31 - that
12:32 - provides real base load any rg
12:34 - is something that I've been pushing for for a
12:37 - very long time and many of my colleagues do.
12:41 - So
12:42 - That we can
12:43 - increase the energy supply
12:45 - we can.
12:46 - Work to bring down
12:48 - electric bills for folks across the commonwealth
12:51 - and that's certainly
12:53 - certainly are
12:54 - already
12:55 - and before we consider how much energy is required
12:58 - in a data center list of our viewers an idea
13:02 - of
13:02 - How big a so called mega
13:05 - data center can be how much space they take up
13:08 - how many square feet
13:10 - before we get an idea of how much energy it takes to run such a place.
13:16 - Representing people or if you would.
13:21 - I'm sorry could you repeat the question please yes I'm happy to repeat the question
13:25 - before we get into the energy required to run a data center
13:29 - let's give our viewers a clear idea of just how big
13:32 - a data centre can be now I'm hearing about mega
13:35 - data centers how many acres how many square feet do they take up.
13:40 - Sure so a single
13:41 - you know AI focus data center one of these larger ones that we're talking about.
13:46 - I.
13:47 - Can drive much power as.
13:49 - I
13:50 - Potentially have like one hundred thousand households with some of the massive
13:54 - hyperscale facilities consuming up to one megawatt so we are talking about
13:58 - theory energy intensity of elements and I think that is why
14:03 - this is something that I think chairman causer and I agree on and we've seen a huge
14:07 - support across the aisle these are.
14:10 - These are sites they're using tremendous amounts of energy and so the developers of
14:14 - these facilities really need to be accountable for getting finding away if they want
14:18 - to develop that somebody's neighbourhood
14:20 - in someone's city and someone's municipality make sure that that company is getting
14:25 - that energy generating the energy that they need
14:27 - because it can have a huge impact potentially on
14:30 - the grid and the energy that we all rely on and we want to make sure that.
14:34 - As the chairman said we are protecting people's rights and also making sure that
14:39 - their reliability is not jeopardized by these because it can have
14:42 - a significant impact absolutely.
14:47 - Go ahead representative causer
14:49 - yeah just like to add to that because I certainly
14:51 - I certainly agree and and with many
14:54 - respects with the chairwoman Fiedler and
14:56 - the the fact that
14:57 - we need to be prepared
14:59 - and I think that that
15:01 - preparation is important
15:02 - it's all about having energy policy that actually
15:05 - suppose port's growth in the commonwealth
15:07 - while protecting the ratepayers
15:10 - with their with their energy costs
15:12 - and
15:13 - if we have additional supply in the state then that
15:16 - will help the ratepayers and will also help with the
15:19 - supplying these operations
15:21 - but when we talk about data centers
15:23 - we really need them to bring their own energy
15:25 - and
15:26 - bringing their own energy for any proposed project
15:29 - is is going to be critical
15:32 - to not only make the project successful but to protect the ratepayers and I think
15:37 - many of these projects will be bringing their their own
15:40 - their own energy
15:42 - and not only does that provide energy for the data center
15:45 - but it provides
15:47 - more energy for the grid in general and and I
15:49 - think that that is beneficial for our commonwealth
15:53 - and so
15:54 - having guard rails in place
15:56 - and to make sure that we're providing the energy that's needed for the commonwealth
16:01 - that we're protecting the ratepayers.
16:04 - Is critically important
16:05 - now that
16:06 - the chairwoman mentioned
16:07 - house bill eighteen thirty four
16:09 - and there are many things in the house bill eighteen thirty four that to
16:12 - that I think are beneficial
16:14 - of you know making sure that.
16:17 - They bring their own energy making sure that
16:20 - when
16:21 - electric facilities have to be upgraded
16:23 - that the the the the the galloper is actually paying for that and I think that that
16:29 - is important again to protect the ratepayers
16:33 - but there are a number of things in that bill that I
16:35 - that I found problematic for example mandates that
16:38 - and
16:39 - that
16:40 - require thirty two percent of the energy to come from.
16:44 - Renewable sources for example which I think
16:46 - I is problematic
16:49 - going forward
16:50 - I don't think that we should be that selective and where the energy comes from
16:55 - we need real base load energy and we have opportunities
16:58 - in this commonwealth work from natural gas for example
17:02 - to provide real base load energy
17:05 - and plaything the mandates like like a huge.
17:09 - Renewable.
17:10 - Mandate is is
17:12 - is as I said problematic
17:14 - it also
17:15 - provides
17:16 - provide that particular bill
17:18 - also has some significant fees included
17:21 - and so
17:22 - concerns with that particular bill but in general
17:25 - we need guide rails on these projects and
17:28 - certainly I'm
17:29 - I'm focusing on that.
17:31 - I represent Fiedler another basic question about data centers are viewers understand
17:35 - that data centers require a lot of electricity to operate
17:39 - but what about the water
17:40 - whether they need all that water for.
17:44 - So much of it is used for cooling we do know
17:46 - that there are other technological advances.
17:50 - That make it possible to.
17:52 - I
17:54 - Cool and in other ways that are much less water intensive
17:58 - that said we do think that ensuring that.
18:01 - Water usage and
18:03 - the cleanliness of water safety of water should absolutely be.
18:07 - At the very very top of the list and ensuring that if
18:10 - these developments do come to someone city someone's town
18:13 - make sure that water usage is.
18:15 - Not going to have a negative impact on the
18:17 - folks who are already there and I think that is
18:19 - absolutely something we should be doing
18:21 - as the chairman sad guard rails
18:23 - are very very important
18:25 - and I think I do want to follow up and say that the renewable energy piece that is an
18:29 - eighteen thirty four I think is actually tremendously important
18:32 - people see their bills going through the roof and
18:35 - folks at least in Philadelphia have already turned on their air conditioners.
18:39 - So we know that energy
18:41 - prices are going up we know people's bills are going up and I think we've got to do
18:44 - everything we can to get more energy online
18:47 - and when we talk about.
18:49 - All of the above energy solution and
18:52 - embracing all kinds of energy
18:54 - I think that absolutely needs to include renewables they
18:56 - are relatively cheap they're relatively fast to get online
18:59 - and if renewable energy can help to lower
19:01 - people's bills I believe a majority of the common
19:04 - would like to see that happen.
19:05 - All as far as a source of water is concerned for data
19:09 - centers do some data centers rely on a natural body of water
19:12 - that is nearby.
19:19 - They
19:19 - are talking about specific projects and
19:22 - and I think that
19:23 - as as
19:24 - representative cause or can you think of any example where there's a
19:27 - a natural body a lot of it's being drawn on by data centers.
19:31 - I don't know of any project specifically of that nature but.
19:35 - They may be getting water from multiple sources but as chair
19:38 - chairwoman Fiedler said.
19:41 - There's a lot of misinformation out there also
19:43 - and and many of these projects recycle water.
19:46 - So I think you have to look specifically at the project
19:49 - the scale of the project
19:50 - exactly how much water are they using where is the water coming from
19:54 - and I think
19:56 - those are all important components
19:58 - really when we're looking at data centers
20:01 - there's a lot to consider I mean.
20:03 - We number one have to look at
20:05 - the energy that's used at the facility and where
20:07 - the energy is coming from and of course resp.
20:10 - Aires
20:11 - and protecting the ratepayers that are that are paying.
20:14 - For energy in their community we also have
20:17 - to look at water usage where it's coming from
20:19 - how much is being used how much
20:21 - recycled
20:22 - and the third component
20:24 - is respecting local control in our communities I think
20:28 - it's vitally important
20:30 - that to
20:31 - that we maintain local control with local officials
20:34 - because they know their community best
20:37 - and many of these communities are not prepared for data centers
20:41 - many of them are trying to get up to speed
20:44 - with local ordinances
20:46 - placing guardrails in place but I I do think that it's vitally important that we
20:51 - maintain that level of local control
20:54 - and and not take away authority from local
20:56 - officials because they know their communities best
20:59 - and.
21:01 - House Republicans I know are fighting very
21:03 - hard to maintain that level of local control
21:06 - for local officials
21:07 - are represented cause of the governor's
21:09 - proposing tax breaks for data centers that locate
21:12 - here in Pennsylvania
21:14 - what is your caucasus position on that.
21:17 - While we're taking a look at that right now and you know that's an existing tax
21:20 - credit that's been in place for data centers across the commonwealth there's
21:24 - certainly a lot of question about
21:26 - do we still need this tax credit
21:28 - is it structured appropriately
21:30 - and I think those are legitimate questions that to
21:34 - that need to be investigated
21:35 - and
21:36 - and.
21:38 - Certainly
21:39 - with the budgetary
21:40 - situation that we're or in.
21:42 - All things are on the table and I think that we
21:44 - need to look at all aspects of that tax credit.
21:49 - A representative Fiedler the governor is talking about a sales and use tax
21:53 - for data centers
21:55 - what is your position there.
21:58 - So as chairman concert said this is an existing tax credit and my understanding is
22:02 - that the governor's grid proposal what places.
22:05 - Restrictions and protections on that existing tax credit
22:09 - those restrictions and protections relate to workforce economic development and
22:14 - making sure that the jobs are local.
22:17 - Environmental protections along the lines of
22:19 - the things that we are already talking about
22:21 - offsetting emissions air pollution stripped water usage requirements as well as as we
22:27 - said and I think the chairman and I agree on the bring your own energy component
22:31 - of these large developments want to come and move into an existing
22:35 - area existing town existing city they should be bringing their own energy they should
22:39 - generate it and it should be in charge of that
22:41 - and it should not have a negative impact on the folks who are already there the small
22:44 - business owners and homeowners and families
22:47 - so I think that the transparency the community
22:49 - benefits and engagement pieces of grit are
22:52 - you know layers on top of an existing tax credit it's an effort to
22:55 - make very very clear that if these devout minutes
22:58 - you know if local officials decide
23:00 - I and these developments are cited in a location those folks should be good neighbors
23:05 - to the people who are already there
23:06 - and I could not agree with the chairman caused her more about
23:10 - the fact that local elected officials know their neighborhood they know their
23:14 - community better than anyone else and I think in that regard
23:17 - we are on the same page of saying that it should be up to folks
23:21 - locally there is not a one size fits all
23:23 - solution for for really anything in Pennsylvania
23:26 - will represent a
23:27 - that considering the governor wants data centers to bring their own source of power
23:32 - could that speed up or even slow down development
23:35 - might it be a hindrance instead of a help
23:38 - maybe some data centers won't want to come here under those conditions.
23:44 - I think it really relates to the big picture which we've been talking about the whole
23:47 - time we need to get more energy online
23:49 - we know that we live in a very energy intensive
23:52 - world society country
23:55 - where people are expected to be able to log onto video conferencing without a problem
23:59 - people use artificial intelligence electric vehicles all of this stuff
24:03 - we are using a lot of energy
24:05 - and so we need to do everything we can to get more
24:07 - generation online now obviously chairman causer and I
24:10 - disagree a little bit on whether we want to see renewables be.
24:14 - As much of a piece of that I do believe renewables are clean energy
24:19 - they are relatively cheap and fast to get online and I think if people see their
24:22 - utility the bells climb this summer
24:25 - they want to see more energy online
24:27 - and they are they are happy with it to be renewables
24:29 - if that means that it makes the grid more reliable
24:32 - fewer blackouts and brownouts and.
24:35 - Ultimately keeps people's bills as low as possible
24:38 - because there are a lot of folks out there and
24:39 - both of our districts in all of our districts who
24:41 - already can't afford their utila the bills
24:44 - they come into all of our district offices estate reps and say
24:47 - here's my bill and here's my paycheck I'm not earning enough to be able to afford
24:51 - everything right now
24:52 - and those folks are putting terrible terrible
24:55 - positions right there are people who are
24:57 - choosing between medicine and paying their electric bill to keep the
25:00 - the air conditioning on
25:02 - and as temperatures climb we say you know
25:04 - times get to ninety five up to one hundred like
25:07 - that is
25:08 - that is very dangerous territory for folks especially seniors and children who might
25:12 - be sitting inside their house without air conditioning I mean that
25:16 - the loss of life and the health impact will be tremendous
25:20 - especially if we see people not
25:23 - have sir service because of blackouts and brownouts
25:25 - because we haven't done enough to get energy on line
25:28 - and to make our greatest sustainable and reliable as possible
25:31 - representative cars are then let's let's get right to the
25:33 - bottom line then as far as energy ratepayers are concerned
25:37 - what's the effect that if data centers do bring their own source of power
25:41 - what's the news
25:42 - for ratepayer there's.
25:45 - We're talking a lot about data centers today and energy use and that's
25:48 - that's a critical component for data centers
25:51 - but I really think that we have to have a broader
25:53 - discussion about energy policy in general.
25:56 - As a commonwealth we need to get more energy onto the grid
26:01 - we know that our grid is not as secure as it should be
26:04 - we know that we need need more energy in this state
26:07 - one of the concerns that I have is
26:09 - is placing mandates on certain forms of energy because I think that
26:14 - if you mandate a certain source of energy like some
26:17 - renewables and some of the bills that we've seen
26:20 - that
26:20 - that particular mandate actually causes
26:24 - causes and increased costs aus to our
26:26 - to our energy production
26:28 - we need real base load energy in this commonwealth and
26:32 - and that can come from multiple sources I
26:34 - mentioned one earlier natural gas natural gas is a
26:38 - source that you can put a lot of base load energy on the grid
26:41 - there are other sources there are other sources that are coming small modular or
26:46 - nuclear is coming
26:48 - additional nuclear is coming nearby the capital here with the
26:52 - three mile island being restarted I mean it's there are multiple sources out there
26:57 - that can provide real base load energy
26:59 - and we need an energy policy that actually supports that growth and development
27:04 - and so that we can can get more energy on the grid
27:07 - and support multiple industries in Pennsylvania.
27:11 - Because it's not just about data centers we we need to grow the economy and the state
27:16 - that's what's going to cause us to be
27:18 - to be successful.
27:20 - Look at the states around us
27:22 - they have some really poor energy policy
27:25 - new Jersey Rosie
27:26 - Maryland for example
27:28 - you know they're they're enacting mandates they're enacting
27:31 - policies
27:32 - that actually restrict
27:34 - energy development
27:35 - and Pennsylvania is still a major exporter of energy
27:40 - my number one concern is that we have
27:42 - an energy policy in Pennsylvania that supports
27:45 - energy growth
27:47 - to support ratepayers in the state
27:49 - and and to not let poor energy policy in other states.
27:53 - Harm the ratepayers here in our state
27:55 - I represent Fiedler and represent them cause I thank you very much
27:59 - we're going to talk more about the governor's plans for energy after
28:03 - I gave you a short break
28:05 - because we're going to look at program notes
28:07 - for pcn.
28:09 - A journalist roundtable this week our guests will
28:12 - be in a gen Eli from capital wire state affairs
28:16 - got bolus from wv I a
28:19 - and Zach koops from penn live there'll be here Thursday
28:23 - at seven pm June tenth day of freedom is a program organized by
28:28 - susquehanna the university
28:30 - that will be on Thursday at seven thirty pm.
28:34 - On the history and culture side of programming will have the script writer
28:38 - of the Ken burns documentary the American revolution
28:41 - Geoffrey ward
28:43 - he'll be here on Tuesday at eight pm.
28:47 - It's history explores the Pittsburgh revolution
28:50 - a new fort pitt museum exhibit about western Pennsylvania his pivotal role
28:55 - in the revolutionary war
28:57 - and that'll be all Wednesday at nine pm.
29:00 - I will examine the life of August Wilson
29:03 - pulitzer prize winning playwright whose work
29:06 - focused on the struggle goals and dreams
29:08 - of Pittsburgh's black community
29:10 - that's on Friday at six pm
29:13 - or you can launch this show and all our public affairs programming free of charge
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29:39 - we're talking about energy policy here in Pennsylvania
29:43 - and this is the last question about data centers I guess I promise
29:47 - and I just want you to consider
29:49 - Stacy garrity has an idea she's the treasure here in
29:52 - Pennsylvania she is calling for a pause on data control
29:56 - on
29:57 - Data center
29:58 - projects she thinks she's
30:00 - we're moving along too quickly
30:01 - what do you think of
30:03 - taking a break before we go any farther represented Fiedler.
30:07 - So I think in the days and weeks
30:10 - to come.
30:11 - We only have a week and a half
30:12 - days certainly to come you will see legislation to further regulate data centers
30:19 - coming out.
30:21 - Committees in the house and and ultimately hopefully to the floor.
30:25 - I that will.
30:28 - I.
30:29 - Helped to put in place even more strict
30:33 - guardrails and protections along those lines
30:36 - we do have a bill
30:37 - prohibiting non disclosure agreements
30:39 - for developers to access the tax credit that's something we expect to
30:43 - put out of our committee tomorrow and there are
30:45 - other bills that are expected to be coming out of.
30:48 - I
30:49 - Grid coming out and then also a bill coming out of
30:51 - local government that would accomplish something similar
30:54 - you know I think it is a recognition that
30:57 - as I said in the very beginning local elected officials are overwhelmed these are
31:01 - huge developments these are companies that have
31:04 - teams of lawyers and other folks who you know
31:08 - come into these these
31:09 - towns and municipalities
31:11 - and in many ways overwhelm
31:14 - the local elected officials
31:15 - these are people the local elected do a tremendous job
31:18 - of covering a lot of different things but we need to
31:22 - give them the time and the tools and the support
31:24 - as a state to make the best decision for their
31:27 - their law local.
31:29 - Municipality and I think
31:31 - we will see some things moving along that line and you
31:33 - know governorship your house put out is putting out.
31:37 - Grid which I think is a
31:39 - strong piece of legislation that we expect to move in the house that will help to
31:43 - further ensure accountability on these projects
31:45 - or what do you think representative cause or should
31:47 - Pennsylvania press the pause button for data centers.
31:51 - It's important for us to have guard rails in place
31:53 - and I think that's what we're focused on right now
31:56 - guard rails to make sure that.
31:59 - Our local communities have the tools they need
32:02 - to make
32:02 - decisions regarding their own communities
32:05 - I think we're working very hard.
32:07 - On the
32:08 - energy side of things to make sure they bring
32:10 - their own energy I think it's import isn't
32:12 - as the chairman said that we
32:14 - provide resources for
32:16 - for local communities to be able to to make these decisions
32:19 - the one thing that I do want to point out is
32:22 - our governor also proposed a site
32:24 - for energy projects which I think that
32:27 - hasn't gotten much attention lately but this is a piece
32:30 - of legislation that I would have taken away local control
32:34 - as it
32:35 - as it
32:36 - deals with where to site energy projects and that would have taken away
32:40 - and
32:41 - be.
32:43 - Authority of local officials in the siting decisions and and I think that
32:48 - that that is particularly problematic we need to make sure
32:51 - that local officials local township supervisors and borough council members and
32:57 - and county commissioners
32:59 - local officials.
33:00 - Who know their communities best
33:02 - habits
33:03 - have a say
33:04 - in
33:05 - Where these projects are cited
33:07 - and guard rails in place
33:09 - to protect their own communities
33:12 - while we continue growth in our communities we we need growth in this commonwealth
33:17 - and whether we're talking about data centers or other projects
33:21 - we need policies that support the growth in the commonwealth.
33:25 - Or the governor is proposing an energy program called the lightning plan and has
33:30 - several points to it and one of them has to do
33:32 - with changing the state's energy portfolio in other words
33:37 - changing the balance of different forms of energy
33:40 - a representative Fiedler
33:42 - what can you tell us about that.
33:45 - The lesson plan is a proposal from the administration that's been out there for
33:49 - awhile a number of the bills from
33:51 - that package did come to our committee including the one that I'm.
33:57 - Chairman concert just mentioned reset which was the siting board
34:01 - you know I think.
34:02 - Ultimately we need to in my opinion we need to get more energy online and that
34:07 - absolutely includes renewable energy
34:09 - I do think that there's a role for the state to
34:11 - play but quite honestly I hadn't focused very much.
34:14 - On the bills that are in our committee either ones were voting out in the next few
34:18 - days or bills that we've already voted out
34:21 - so I think there are many other opportunities that we
34:23 - can pursue I including small modular reactors which
34:26 - the chairman mentioned I was proud I believe that came out
34:29 - unanimously that is a
34:31 - future you know looking to the future the near future and saying what other sources
34:35 - of energy can we get online and not sm arbil bell belongs to my colleague rep
34:39 - Jose draw we also have geothermal legislation from rep then cat
34:44 - we have legislation too
34:46 - from Jacqueline roughneck house bill
34:48 - twelve sixty that would require that large
34:51 - warehouses in the commonwealth be built solar ready
34:54 - and that's actually really smart business decision we know from the industry group
34:58 - that represents these folks that these large warehouse sites that
35:01 - it's actually easier for them to lease out a large where house if it's solar ready
35:05 - because it's so common sense for them to be able to put panels up
35:09 - and generate their own energy this is on top of a warehouse so maybe not as
35:12 - controversial as some other locations for
35:15 - solar panels in different communities but
35:17 - certainly a great source of free energy the sun is shining down and so these
35:21 - warehouse folks say yes absolutely we'll use that energy in our building
35:25 - so I think there are absolutely things that we are
35:27 - doing certainly doing in the energy committee and
35:30 - when we can doing it on a bipartisan basis quite honestly and that is not always the
35:34 - case it's not always possible as the chairman knows
35:38 - but we do strive to do that there are other bills that we have like house bill twenty
35:41 - five ninety five that we're voting out tomorrow
35:44 - for rep angles
35:45 - that would speed up the interconnection process hope to get more energy online
35:50 - cutting the red tape and making sure that
35:52 - developers are not sitting waiting for months and years to see whether they can put
35:56 - some of this clean energy on the grid but to expedite that process
35:59 - so you know I know the lightning clan was it did include a number of pieces of
36:03 - legislation I some of them are still out there
36:05 - that said we are working very very hard on the
36:08 - pieces in front of us in our community right now.
36:11 - Represented cause what do you think of the state's
36:13 - energy portfolio and would you like to change the balance
36:16 - of different forms of energy within the.
36:19 - I biggest concerns
36:21 - centers around mandates and
36:24 - changes to the alternative energy portfolio standards
36:27 - are essentially a mandate to get certain
36:30 - a certain amount of energy from certain sources and I'm one of the few members that
36:35 - was in the legislature when the original.
36:38 - Hps was passed years ago and
36:41 - and now to
36:43 - to see what the governor's
36:44 - is proposing
36:46 - would be a huge mandate to get energy from certain sources
36:50 - I think that will have the effect
36:52 - of
36:52 - Increasing energy costs in the commonwealth so I have serious concerns with
36:57 - with the governor's proposal
36:59 - without parole curricular bill
37:01 - and
37:01 - I think that we need an all of the above strategy when it comes to energy
37:05 - I don't think that we need to pick winners and losers
37:08 - and a change to the ps
37:11 - is a huge mandate that will increase costs
37:15 - you know some of the other things that we need to be focused on
37:18 - and I think we've made some progress you know getting rid of Reggie for example
37:22 - with his is huge progress in this state.
37:25 - Because Reggie was holding us back
37:27 - and we've made some progress on the permitting side of things.
37:32 - Or.
37:33 - As it relates to energy projects
37:35 - but I really think that we can do more
37:38 - to encourage energy growth and development in the state
37:41 - chairwoman Fiedler mentioned some some bipartisan efforts that that
37:44 - we have.
37:46 - That we worked together on
37:48 - I think there will be more biber bipartisan effort
37:51 - and
37:52 - but we really need to to get more energy on the grid
37:56 - and we don't need costly.
37:58 - Expensive mandates
38:00 - that are going to mandate certain forms of energy.
38:04 - Represents cause he pointed out that
38:06 - Pennsylvania is out of the Reggie
38:09 - program r a g g I and that's the
38:11 - limiting
38:12 - carbon emissions from power plants
38:14 - however there is another version being proposed
38:17 - and that's
38:17 - the pacer program p a c e r
38:20 - what's the feedback on that is still is that still
38:23 - being considered by lawmakers represent of causing.
38:27 - Well
38:28 - we we dealt with Reggie for
38:30 - several years and.
38:32 - I fought hard against Reggie and as you stated Reggie is gone
38:36 - and
38:37 - the governor
38:38 - and part of his lightning plan
38:40 - immediately turned around and and created or
38:44 - proposed his own
38:45 - form of Reggie which will be a statewide
38:48 - carbon tax
38:50 - which would have the same effect
38:52 - damaging if the fact that Reggie would have so I think
38:55 - I think that.
38:57 - That takes us in the wrong direction
38:59 - I'm firmly opposed to that we need energy policy
39:02 - that actually supports
39:04 - growth
39:05 - and development in Pennsylvania
39:07 - and.
39:09 - That particular bill is as misguided and I don't
39:12 - I don't
39:12 - think there is bipartisan opposition
39:15 - to that particular proposal
39:17 - represent Fiedler what do you think of the
39:18 - pacer program which would limit carbon emissions
39:22 - at least it's goal would be to limit carbon emissions from power plants.
39:26 - I think there are valuable pieces of both pacer and crafts I that would you know make
39:32 - sure that we're talking about jobs here in Pennsylvania making sure that we have a
39:36 - highly trained workforce making sure we aren't limiting air and water pollution
39:40 - that's incredibly important make sure we aren't getting more renewable energy online
39:44 - so I think there are pieces of both of those pieces up ledge nestle should not are
39:48 - valuable and should be part of our path forward
39:51 - that said I think you know we are in a moment that is
39:54 - both an affordability crisis and an energy crisis and it's the working class middle
40:00 - class and poor people in our districts for a feeling at
40:03 - the hardest right now but it's really only going to spread as bills go up and so I
40:06 - think this moment is one in which
40:08 - you know chairman concert and I might disagree
40:10 - about details but we do agree we need to
40:13 - strengthen our grid make it more reliable we need to get more energy online and we
40:17 - need to squeeze as much energy out of our existing grid as possible we also have to
40:22 - build called the eighty ti's advanced transportation technologies
40:26 - which passed the house house unanimously
40:28 - unanimously
40:30 - and for energy policy that I think that should count as
40:32 - like doubly impressive because that is very hard to do
40:36 - that said it is hardware and software upgrades to
40:38 - our existing transmission lines the life that you see
40:41 - running in front of your house and it really gets the
40:44 - most out of those existing lines so we're not losing any
40:47 - process of it being transferred
40:49 - that is an energy efficiency measure
40:51 - that we should be taking as a commonwealth and some of
40:54 - the house can pass that unanimously I see no
40:56 - reason that we wouldn't be able to get it through
40:58 - hopefully in the upper chamber and it would result in
41:01 - savings for people regular people in all of our district so
41:04 - I know for me that is where my mind is that is where I am focuses on the work of the
41:09 - this these pieces of legislation that we are
41:11 - trying to get out get out with bipartisan support
41:14 - and to try to save people money
41:16 - and so I think we've got a lot of legislation we have done in the committee I'm
41:20 - grateful to the chairman and his staff for
41:22 - being good partners and talking these things through and when we can get to agreement
41:26 - we do and we work really hard to get it over the line
41:28 - let's talk more about the consumers of energy and the idea that the governor is
41:34 - considering pulling Pennsylvania out of pjm that's a power grid company but
41:39 - how about a brief refresher on what pj and his
41:43 - and the wide significant to ratepayers in Pennsylvania.
41:48 - Representative causer would you like to take that.
41:51 - Bizarre regional grid operator and they operate in thirteen states and
41:55 - and
41:55 - so they're like the traffic controller of the grid
41:58 - and there have been multiple concerns about
42:01 - operations of pjm and and.
42:04 - There have been concerns about.
42:07 - The length of time it takes to get more energy on the grid so
42:11 - I but I think it's
42:13 - a lot of that
42:14 - while it's being directed a pjm and some of
42:16 - the criticism certainly belongs with them but
42:20 - but a lot of it revolves around poor energy policy some states as I mentioned
42:25 - have but
42:25 - an extremely HP poor energy policy Maryland for example.
42:30 - Has enacted
42:31 - and
42:32 - you know plans
42:33 - that
42:34 - actually restrict energy production in the state
42:37 - and and are relying on other states like Pennsylvania for their energy and in
42:42 - new Jersey is the same way.
42:45 - My concern is
42:47 - that.
42:48 - War policy in other states shouldn't affect ratepayers in Pennsylvania
42:53 - and
42:54 - my focus is protecting.
42:57 - Ratepayers in Pennsylvania so that their electric bills are not going up
43:01 - just because of poor decisions in other states and
43:05 - and and we need to do everything we can to preach protect the ratepayers in
43:08 - Pennsylvania Pennsylvania is an energy powerhouse we have always been
43:13 - an ex border of energy
43:15 - we need to make sure that we maintain that status
43:18 - and and actually grow it because we have more opportunity in the state
43:23 - we can produce way more energy than what we're producing right now
43:26 - so
43:27 - Not only can we strengthen the grid in this state
43:30 - and
43:31 - we can actually benefit every state around us
43:33 - but what we really need to do is strengthen the grid in this state
43:37 - to protect the ratepayers in this state
43:40 - and grow our opportunities in this state
43:42 - are represented Fiedler what are your concerns about pjm.
43:47 - So I think many of the concerns that as lawmakers we hear from folks.
43:53 - In Harrisburg and also in our districts
43:55 - related to pjm many of the concerns are similar
43:58 - as you heard from chairman cost it correctly this is
44:01 - a regional organization that seeks to cover thirteen states so that is.
44:06 - A large task in and of itself knowing that all these states have different needs and
44:10 - have different energy policies as as I think the chairman rightfully pointed out
44:14 - and
44:15 - one of the largest problems that people voice with pjm
44:18 - interconnection queue
44:19 - which has
44:20 - historically been
44:21 - long and taken a very long time
44:24 - and that is important because that gets back to the
44:26 - original point of the need to get more energy online
44:29 - and so we need to make sure that if there are obstacles to
44:32 - getting more energy online making sure people have reliable
44:35 - service making sure we keep their bills in check
44:38 - then we are taking a hard look at those things and I think pjm could potentially be
44:42 - one of those pieces you've heard the governor talk about it
44:45 - I know my colleague.
44:47 - Rob maxie had house
44:49 - resolution three sixty one
44:51 - which just earlier this month we passed unanimously out of the house
44:56 - this resolution for
44:57 - chairman Max he would
44:59 - direct the the commonwealth to study the financial benefits and the costs of
45:04 - remaining in pjm and so I think it's a legislature
45:07 - we are doing the hard and important work of taking
45:10 - a look at the status quo the existing structure
45:13 - and
45:13 - trying to figure out if it makes sense for the folks we represent back home
45:17 - I don't think that we have that answer ultimately and I
45:19 - do know that the governor himself and the administration
45:22 - is taking a hard look as well to figure out is this a model that makes sense for us
45:27 - especially as we anticipate that the affordability and energy crisis probably will
45:32 - continue I until some things change and some of those things that may change are out
45:36 - of our control whether all of these projects come on line technological advances
45:41 - and whether we get more energy generation online
45:43 - and those are all pieces that are you know
45:46 - it's quite a complex picture to try to predict future so I will hesitate to
45:50 - I would hesitate to do that but I think we need to do everything we can right now to
45:54 - try to keep people's bells in check and their service as reliable as possible
45:58 - we have about two minutes left in our program and I hope
46:01 - both of you can find time to answer the following question
46:04 - represent of a Fiddler you first how much progress
46:07 - have you seen been moving from
46:09 - fossil fuels to
46:10 - cleaner and sustainable forms of energy.
46:14 - I think we are making progress I think that there are many shared goals in both sides
46:19 - on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers making sure that the workforce that
46:23 - builds and
46:24 - maintains energy infrastructure is highly qualified highly trained ideally from here
46:29 - in Pennsylvania I think that is a shared goal
46:32 - I think we are making progress I think it is essential two keeping people's bills
46:36 - as low as possible
46:38 - and as I said to getting energy online quickly
46:41 - and for a relatively low cost that is a benefit
46:43 - of renewable energy we know what is true
46:46 - and I am hopeful that we can continue to move in that direction that said we do know
46:50 - that different forms of energy play different roles
46:53 - and have different value in our lives and stuff we've got a cold snap in the winter
46:56 - we might be relying on a different kind of energy that
46:59 - you know a more mild day in may
47:01 - so I think it is it is a complex mix we need to have open minds and open
47:05 - hearts and I
47:07 - continue to work really hard because the people back home are counting on us to make
47:10 - smart decisions and to come to the table when we can
47:13 - and representative cause or how do you feel about.
47:16 - Moving from fossil fuels to cleaner and renewable
47:19 - energy is that an inevitable thing that we're pursuing in Pennsylvania.
47:24 - We have a huge opportunity in Pennsylvania when it comes to energy production
47:28 - we need more energy on the grid
47:29 - fossil fuels provide
47:31 - the majority of the energy that we use them this commonwealth
47:34 - and we have more opportunity with fossil fuels across the state
47:38 - we the bottom line is
47:40 - we need to get more energy on the grid
47:42 - sources of energy like nat natural gas
47:45 - our sources that we can put on the grid quickly
47:48 - and provide real base load energy so fossil fuels are
47:52 - a huge component of our energy industry
47:56 - I think that we can do more with fossil fuels
47:58 - I think that we need to get multiple sources of energy on the grid
48:02 - we can strengthen our grid we can have additional
48:05 - growth and opportunity in this commonwealth
48:08 - if we
48:08 - broaden our energy policy
48:11 - if we are open to the fact that
48:13 - we can put more
48:14 - fossil fuels on the grid like natural gas
48:17 - and this will will increase our supply of energy
48:21 - that will ultimately bring down the cost of energy strength then our grid
48:25 - and provide more opportunity across the commonwealth
48:28 - our guests have been representative Martin causer
48:31 - the minority chair of the pa house energy committee
48:34 - and representative Elizabeth Fiedler majority chair
48:38 - of the pa house energy committee thanks for joining us thank you so much and
48:43 - thank you very much p CNN's Ellen fronds talk to representative Greg Scott about a
48:48 - bill that addresses so called forever chemicals.
48:53 - Welcome to our program
48:54 - he has proposed legislation to ban p f a s forever
48:57 - chemicals from certain products in Pennsylvania
49:00 - what are these chemicals.
49:03 - Great question so these are common chemicals that we may
49:06 - all use we just don't even know so you're a cook a fry and
49:10 - cook an egg in a fry pan a non-stick coating
49:12 - typically there is something like that how about an iron
49:15 - when you go to iron your clothes there in products like that
49:18 - you ever flown an airplane the the rubber in the coils that go through
49:23 - the rubber
49:24 - for the airplanes typically.
49:26 - It is coated with p face laden chemicals p face is a chemical
49:30 - that is and acts as an adhesive and it repels water
49:34 - essentially and that's at a high level of how to describe what it is
49:38 - now what health risks do these chemicals impose on the general public.
49:42 - Great I mean pie people are incredibly effective at with their
49:46 - with their supposed to do keeping water out
49:48 - and
49:49 - keeping
49:50 - products going
49:51 - but when that.
49:53 - Fabric is broken and the pfs is able to escape out of those
49:58 - it can be very harmful
50:00 - to human beings so we're seeing it in well water
50:03 - where there's a chemical spill
50:05 - or near a multi.
50:07 - Large
50:08 - multinational corporations and they have an industrial
50:12 - discharge and then that water that gets in the the water
50:15 - and that's a problem
50:16 - and so.
50:18 - I.
50:19 - P face
50:20 - on a hole
50:21 - and
50:22 - it can be effective if used appropriately the problem is
50:26 - it's getting ingested in in human beings and so we want to make sure
50:29 - that we're protecting consumers has as much as we possibly can
50:33 - buy these harmful products if we want to remove them not from everything
50:36 - but from four specific categories from dental products
50:39 - we don't believe there should be a floss because
50:41 - if it breaks and it's in your mouth thick easy the da
50:44 - easily to digest
50:46 - also cosmetic and makeup products
50:48 - how about menstrual products tampons if it's
50:50 - going inside of your body maybe we shouldn't
50:53 - have a chemical that if it breaks down
50:55 - can cause you
50:56 - several cancer or other potential cancers
50:58 - and the last category that we're doing
51:00 - is also in juvenile products think of pacifiers
51:03 - I think
51:04 - products like that if it's going into a baby
51:06 - we don't want these harmful chemicals
51:08 - and and in those four categories
51:11 - so how would this bill work would it prevent
51:14 - products with these chemicals from being sold in Pennsylvania or
51:18 - from being created in Pennsylvania how can Pennsylvania monitor
51:21 - the usage of these chemicals
51:23 - to great question the first
51:24 - this
51:25 - legislation aims to do is raise a level of awareness a lot of folks especially
51:28 - consumers at my brand new father myself
51:31 - have a nine month old I didn't even know that this was
51:33 - that these things were in baby products or that my
51:35 - baby can be exposed to so adding a level of awareness
51:38 - the second thing that this legislation aims to do
51:40 - is to make sure that businesses and corporations
51:43 - are aware that the the
51:44 - the state is watching
51:46 - and we want them to do better you can build these products without p fast it's safer
51:51 - and may cost a little bit more money
51:52 - we want to make sure that consumers have an option so this bill
51:56 - will simply
51:56 - say that hey if you're going to sell those
51:58 - products one we've got to make sure they're labeled
52:00 - and if you're going to sell them here there should be.
52:03 - There should be a level that count ability with respect to manufacturers
52:07 - and the consumers knowing that those products exist.
52:10 - Are there other states with legislation like this in place.
52:14 - There are other states that are considering or have proposed and some like Maine have
52:18 - implemented their own can consumer wide ban on consumer products statewide
52:23 - so there are other sister certainly considering this
52:26 - this is the first bill that has narrowed it down to these four specific categories.
52:31 - Lastly where is this bill in the legislative process currently.
52:36 - Too great question
52:37 - this bill currently I just passed the house commerce committee not too long ago
52:42 - it passed in a bipartisan fashion
52:44 - unanimously
52:45 - across committee
52:47 - and now it awaits for
52:48 - consideration
52:49 - and the full house which we anticipate
52:52 - or hope to have
52:53 - in the the late
52:54 - the fall so hopefully November October
52:57 - November is when we anticipate that this bill will run that's our hope at least
53:01 - representative Greg Scott thank you for joining us.
53:04 - Thank you so much.
53:07 - Thanks to Ellen for that interview
53:09 - before we go
53:10 - here's a reminder about journalists roundtable this week
53:14 - our guests will be nn Janelle a from capitol wire state affairs cat
53:19 - bolus from wv I a
53:22 - and Zach hoops
53:23 - from penn live
53:25 - they'll be here Thursday
53:26 - at sec even pm.
53:28 - That said for the
53:29 - and capital preview on Larry Casper thanks for watching.
53:35 - Hmm.
53:49 - It.