Tackling Philly’s high energy burden can help shore up against storms | Opinion

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License

Creative Commons Licence

Creator(s)

Created Date

October 25, 2021 - 4:30pm

Contributors

Contributed date

October 25, 2021 - 4:39pm

Critical Commentary

This article begins with a discussion of the Vine Street Expressway being turned into a canal as a result of Hurricane Ida. It then goes on to express the need to protect the city from more horrific weather events on both a local and federal level. The article defines energy burden as "is the percentage of household income that is spent on energy bills." It links to a report that states our energy burdens are 86% higher than the national average. The article hails Pennsylvania's Independent Regulatory Review Commission's approval to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) as a good first step. RGGI is a cap and trade program amongst states in the Northeast. 

 

The article then goes on to argue for improvements to the city's infrastructure, citing two ruptured water mains in July. This is followed by a call to plant more trees to provide cooling, energy efficient development standards to ensure new buildings are now worsening the current crisis, and wastewater treatment plan upgrades. They also call on citizens to ask the Department of Human Services to expand the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for year-round funding to assist with utility bills, energy crisis, weatherization, and energy-related minor home repairs. Lastly, they call on any jobs created to address the energy burden challenge be well paying and union jobs. All of these suggestions are things I think the Energy Rights Project can get behind, they are fantastic policy proposals.

 

Source

Alvarez, Deja. “Tackling Philly’s High Energy Burden Can Help Shore up against Storms | Opinion.” https://www.inquirer.com. Accessed October 25, 2021. https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/philadelphia-energy-burden-use-climate-change-20210913.html.

Language

English

Cite as

Deja Alvarez, 25 October 2021, "Tackling Philly’s high energy burden can help shore up against storms | Opinion", contributed by Andrew Rosenthal, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 25 October 2021, accessed 28 March 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/tackling-philly’s-high-energy-burden-can-help-shore-against-storms-opinion