DePasquale: Climate change costing Pa. millions in infrastructure damage, but there鈥檚 a fix
Climate change cost Pennsylvania taxpayers at least $261 million in 2018, with half of that amount, $125.7 million, inflicted on the state鈥檚 infrastructure due to 鈥渞ecord-breaking鈥� flooding and landslides, state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said Wednesday.
DePasquale鈥檚 office rolled out a new report that contains nine recommendations for the state to get ahead of the issue that he said poses a long-term threat to public safety and health, even as it exerts an increasing strain on state and municipal budgets, with taxpayers asked to bear those costs.
The report鈥檚 recommendations include reducing the state鈥檚 greenhouse gas emissions by embracing clean-burning alternative energy; funding increases for those state agencies, such as the Departments of Environmental Protection, Conservation and Natural Resources, and Transportation, that have front-facing roles in planning for severe weather events; and offering incentives to encourage people to buy electric vehicles.
鈥淭he longer we fail to act, the greater the risks to our environment, our economy and our future,鈥� DePasquale, a York County Democrat, said during a Capitol news conference. 鈥淐limate change is a challenge that also presents an opportunity. By acting and investing now, we can not only save lives, but also protect our economy and create jobs along the way.鈥�
DePasquale, who鈥檚 also a Democratic candidate for central Pennsylvania鈥檚 10th Congressional District, said the Republican-controlled General Assembly can directly address the threat of climate change by passing Gov. Tom Wolf鈥檚 $4.5 million, bond-funded infrastructure plan, Restore PA.
That initiative, which has faced opposition from both the GOP and progressives because of its reliance on a severance tax on natural gas drilling, would pay for road and bridge improvements, as well as flood mitigation, among other programs.
DePasquale pointed to the Susquehanna River, just blocks from the capital, as an example of where flood control infrastructure could be improved. The Susquehanna, which empties into the Chesapeake Bay, has been included on the DEP鈥檚 list of 鈥渋mpaired鈥� waterways because of long-standing pollution issues.
In August, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who chairs the interstate Chesapeake Executive Council, called on Pennsylvania to up its game in protecting the downstream bay.
On Wednesday, DePasquale expressed sympathy for those concerns, as he again stressed the need for improving infrastructure on the Susquehanna River.
Though his office鈥檚 report calls on DEP to take 鈥渃omprehensive and timely steps to measure and regulate鈥� methane emissions by the oil and gas industry, DePasquale backed Wolf鈥檚 call for increased petrochemical plant development in Western Pennsylvania.
Wolf鈥檚 remarks, made during a Tuesday interview with KDKA-AM in Pittsburgh, put him at odds with Steel City Mayor Bill Peduto, who opposes more development, and further enraged environmentalists who view Wolf as not tough enough on Big Gas.
During that interview, Wolf reiterated an argument he鈥檚 been using since at least June, saying that the cracker will produce plastic that can be turned into lightweight materials that can produce energy efficient vehicles.
In an email, Wolf鈥檚 spokesperson, J.J. Abbott, told the Capital-Star鈥檚 Stephen Caruso that 鈥渢he governor was pointing to the fact that lightweight plastics have been helpful in improving fuel economy in vehicles and reducing the energy intensity of other products because they help reduce weight when replacing other heavier materials.鈥�
鈥淭his reduction of weight helps improve gas mileage and can reduce the energy required for shipping,鈥� he added.
On Wednesday, DePasquale said he鈥檇 鈥渇all with the governor,鈥� on that argument.
鈥淥ver the long haul, we want to move to clean energy,鈥� DePasquale said. 鈥淣atural gas would be a better transition than coal.鈥�