Corbett turns attention from clean energy to natural gas

Update: Corbett’s energy executive has written to the Post-Gazette regarding the paper’s report on the governor’s energy plans, saying the report contains inaccuracies. NewsWorks was issued a copy of the letter since we featured the Post-Gazette‘s story earlier today.

The letter says in part:

“DEP’s Office of Energy and Technology Deployment was not disbanded – it was renamed as part of an agency re-organization and is in fact currently headed by an extremely qualified deputy secretary…Governor Corbett understands the critical importance of all energy resources, including renewables, both to our economy and our quality of life.  He remains committed to policies which respect taxpayer dollars and grow all our energy industries in a sustainable manner.”

You can read the full letter here.

Original report: The question of whether and how much Pa. Gov. Tom Corbett supports natural gas drilling has been asked and answered time and again.

But a new look into support (or lack thereof) for the state’s clean energy initiatives answers that question from a different angle.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette took a look the Corbett administration’s actions as they pertain to the state’s energy programs. Here’s what the paper found:

 

Directors and staffers have been removed from the DEP’s Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, the Office of Energy Management and the Green Government Council.

State executive agencies are forbidden from signing contracts that support clean energy supply.

This has environmental agencies and activists worried about the state’s clean energy future, but the Corbett administration says it’s just a new approach from the guv’s energy executive. For example, they say, eliminating the sustainable energy purchase program will save about $1 million. Two other energy-efficiency grants, worth $1 million-plus each, will stay.

Feed the Feed: Where should Pennsylvania focus its attention to energy?