HB1100 coalition sign on letter

             

Dear members of the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives, 

As local Pennsylvania community leaders, we are writing to ask you to oppose taxpayer handouts to the fracking and petrochemical industries and to support Governor Wolf’s veto on House Bill 1100. With the huge challenges currently facing the Commonwealth, giving a massive tax break to some of the most polluting companies with the deepest pockets is misguided.

House Bill 1100 could give upwards of $660 million in tax breaks to frackers and the petrochemical industry over the next three decades. Governor Wolf vetoed this bill on March 27th.

This bill would grease the skids for future dangerous fracking, more pipelines cutting through our communities, and more polluting plants that will continue our addiction to single-use plastics in Pennsylvania. Of all the state priorities and all the ways to manage the state’s money in these challenging times, this takes us in the wrong direction.

Hard-working Pennsylvanians pay their fair share to state coffers every day. If this bill becomes law, our lawmakers in Harrisburg will be sending the message that polluters don’t have to.

Now, more than ever, we need to be investing in long-term solutions that will support long-term environmental health and financial security for Pennsylvanians.

We, the undersigned Pennsylvanians, call on members of the General Assembly to support Governor Wolf’s veto of the short-sighted legislation that is House Bill 1100.

Signed,

Environmental Organizations

David Masur, PennEnvironment, Executive Director 

Jacquelyn Bonomo, PennFuture, President 

Abha Saini, The Climate Reality Project, Chair 

Lou Ann Merkle, Montco Ready for 100, Co-Lead 

Adeline Ciannella, Media Environmental Advisory Council, Member 

Lynn Robinson, Neighbors Against the Gas Plants, Director 

Ashely Funk, Mountain Watershed Association, Deputy Director 

Maura Deely, Free The Planet, Co-President 

Robert Schmetzer, Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community & Citizens to Protect the Ambridge Reservoir, Chairman & President

Maurice Sampson, Clean Water Action, Eastern PA Director 

Brooke Lenker, FracTracker Alliance, Executive Director 

Noel J Smyth, Citizens Climate Lobby, Delaware County PA, Chapter Leader 

Bruce Cooper, Citizens Climate Lobby Slippery Rock, Group Leader 

Phoebe Reese, Climate Reality: Pittsburgh & Southwestern PA Chapter, Co-Chair 

Diane Rosencrance, Delaware Highlands Conservancy, Executive Director 

Robin Martin, Food & Water Watch, Allegheny County Organizer 

Gail Murray, Communities First Sewickley Valley, Spokesperson 

Rosalyn Becker, 350.org Pittsburgh, Member 

Gillian Graber, Project PT (Penn-Trafford), Executive Director 

Sabrina Haskell Culyba, Human Action Pittsburgh, No Plastic Please Campaign Director 

Jason Sandman, Climate Dads, Co-Founder 

Sandy Field, Climate Reality Project, Chapter Chair 

Jim Vogt, Aquashicola/Pohopoco Watershed Conservancy, President 

Sarah Martik, Center of Coalfield Justice, Campaign Manager 

Jim Wylie, Ready for 100, Sierra Club PA Chapter Chair 

Sharon Fulong, Bucks Environmental Action, Spokesperson 

John McLaughlin, Sunrise movement Philadelphia, Electoral Lead 

Stephanie Ullmer, PCAT, Member

John Palmer, Carantouan Greenway, President 

Stephn Lockard, Darby Creek Valley Association, Board Member 

Joyce Ely, Neshaminy Creek Watershed Association, Director 

Thomas Schuster, Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter, Clean Energy Program Director 

Joylette Portlock, Ph.D, Sustainable Pittsburgh, Executive Director 

Tracy Lira, Havertown-Area Community Action Network (H-CAN), Group Leader 

Judy Morgan, Northwest Philly Climate Action Network, Steering Committee Member 

Bill Mettler, Bux-Mont Citizens Climate Lobby & Quiet Riot, Group Leader 

Kristen Mcann, The Green Team, Director 

Zachary Davis, Upper Merion Environmental Advisory Council, Chairman 

Leann Leiter, Earthworks, Ohio & Pennsylvania Field Advocate 

Zig Herzog Citizens Climate Lobby Chambersburg Chapter, Chapter Leader 

Lisa Hallowell, Environmental Integrity Project 

Lois Bower-Bjornson, Clean Air Council, Field Organizer 

Lois U. & Oliver Drumheller, Sustainable Monroeville, Co-Lead 

 

Community Organizations  

Adrian River-Reyes, Philly Boricuas, Organizer and Co-Founder 

David Hughes, Citizen Power, Inc., President 

Sarah Francis, bioPhilly, Board Member 

Elicia Gonzales, Women’s Medical Fund, Executive Director 

Scott Wolovich, New Sun Rising, Executive Director 

Kelly Kuzemchak, Green Party of Allegheny County, Treasurer 

Stan Shapiro, Philly Neighborhood Networks, Vice-Chair 

Peter Crownfield, Alliance for Sustainable Communities – Lehigh Valley 

Stanley M. kaminsky, Citizens Climate Lobby Scranton, Chapter Leader  

Patricia Anne Tahan, Lower Moyamensing Civic Association, President 

Erica Burman, Delaware County Historical Society, Marketing Manager 

Brent Groce, All Together Now Pennsylvania, Renewable Energy Coalition Coordinator 

Tab Skervin, Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT), Campaign Director 

Ira Josephs, America’s First Fair Trade Committee, President 

Mark Sentesy, Awaken State, State College

 

Businesses

Anna Shipp, Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, Executive Director 

Liz Robinson, Philadelphia Solar Energy Association, Executive Director 

Sam Masotto, Bonn Place Brewing Co., President & Owner 

Dennis Rowan, Rowan Energy Integration, Associate 

Mark Bortman, Exact Solar, CEO & Founder 

Shannon S. Pendleton, Sanders Architectural, Principal 

Ryan Vesely, Green Solar Systems LLC, President 

Matthew Douglas, Sunlight of the Spirit House, Owner 

Alan Yelvington, Happy Dog Farm, LLC, Owner & Operator 

Ilene Hass, Titlellene Hass Creative Solutions, Creative Director 

Dr. Peter Mark, Jansson, Integrated Systems, President 

Brian D. Taussig-Lux, Untours, President 

Heidi Secord, Josie Porter Farm, Farmer 

Richard Whiteford, World Information Transfer, Board Member 

Emma Cunnif, Kneehigh Farm, Owner 

Kyle Winkler, Zero Waste Wrangler, Owner & Operator 

Jonathan R. Meyers, Mobile Business Services, Inc., President 

 Michael S. Brubaker, Moo-Duck Brewery

 Nancy Barton, Philadelphia Brewing Co., Co-Owner

 

Elected Officials

Kara Roggenkamp, Borough of Ben Avon, Member of Council 

Dennis Rowan, Rowan Energy Integration, Associate 

Jesse Barlow, Borough of State College, Council President 

Shannon S. Pendleton, Sanders Architectural, Principal 

Mayor, Matthew Shorraw, City of Monessen

Matthew Douglas, Sunlight of the Spirit House, Owner 

David Rinaldo, Clarks Green Borough Council 

Thomas Rostek, Borough of Sewickley, Member of Council

Kevin Madden, Delaware County, Councilmember 

Erica-Bradley-McCabe, Borough of Stroudsburg, Council President 

Stacy Simon, East Pittsburgh Borough, Council Representative 

Tom Kosmala, Bradfordwoods Council, Member of Council

Mary Carol Kennedy, East Pittsburgh Borough, Borough Council President 

Kevin R. Kuhn, Charlestown Township, Township Supervisor 

James Michael Fitzpatrick, Dalton Borough Councilman 

Mayor Nickole Nesby, City of Duquesne 

Erika Strassburger, Pittsburgh City Council, Council Member 

Jessica Semler, Etna Borough, Councilwoman 

Jeffrey Cruciani, Blakely Borough, Councilman 

Irene Sankey, Harveys Lake Borough, Secretary 

Mayor David Burton, Borough of Malvern

Mark Fallon, Munhall Borough, Councilperson 

Mayor Michael Detweiler, Borough of Mansfield 

Daniel Lez, Emsworth, Councilmember 

Mayme Baumann, Uwchlan Township, Vice-Chair, Board of Supervisors 

Kim Doan, Uwchlan Township, Supervisor 

Health Professionals 

Dr. Walter Tsuo, Physicians for Social Responsibility, PA Executive Director 

Ruth McDermott-Levy, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environment

Hannah Ryan, Penn Medicine, Nurse Practitioner 

Darlene Clark, RN 

Kathleen Krebs, RN, Allegheny County Clean AIr Now 

Ned Ketyer, MD 

Janet H. Horwitz, Psy.D 

Pam Susko, Main Line Unitarian Church RN 

Academic Leaders

Amy Faivre, Professor of Biology 

Ian Carbone, Allegheny College 

Anya Rose, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy

Jiang Li, University of Pittsburgh 

Charles E. Jones, Geology, University of Pittsburgh 

Jose Duenas, Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, School Program Manager 

Derek Kalp, Landscape Architect, Penn State University 

Laury  S. Mayer, Washington & Jefferson College 

Dr. John Confer, Professor of Parks and Recreation 

Marie Pizzorno Simpson, Bucknell University 

Eric Pallant, Allegheny College, Chair 

Mark Boudreau, Penn State Brandywine 

Felipe Gomez, Carnegie Mellon University 

Paul Sylvester, West Chester University 

Rev. John Sivalon, PhD, University of Scranton 

 

Faith Leaders

Rev. Dr. Douglas B. Hunt, Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth , Member 

Rabbi Judd Levingston 

Dana Kelley, Main Line Unitarian Church, Chairman of the Criminal Justice Reform Committee 

Marta Guttenberg, Power Interfaith Philadelphia, Board Member 

Deborah Wood, Westtown Friends Meeting 

Michael DiMonte, St. Paul’s Working For Justice Ministry 

Douglas Hunt, unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth, Member 

Rabbi Daniel Swartz, Coalition of the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) 

John Marshakk, Power Interfaith Philadelphia, Board Member 

Rev. Alison Cornish, Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light 

Joy Bergey, Environmental Justice Center of Chestnut Hill UNited Church, Director 

Rev. Dr. Kipp Gilmore-Clough, Chestnut Hill United Church, Pastor

Rev. Sandra L. Strauss, Pennsylvania Council of Churches, Director of Advocacy 

Suzanne Gallagher, Sisters of Mercy, Justice Coordinator Mid-Atlantic Region