Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Clean Energy Resolution topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears resolution urging state clean-energy goals; sends measure to energy subcommittee
Summary
A resolution calling for Georgia to adopt clean-energy goals and invest in workforce development was presented and supporters urged action; the committee assigned HR 67 to the energy subcommittee for further consideration.
Representative Scofield presented House Resolution 67 to the House Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committee, saying the measure supports Georgia’s transition to clean energy and emphasizes economic growth, job creation and workforce development.
"HR 67 is a forward thinking initiative that supports Georgia's transition to clean energy," Scofield said. He told the committee the resolution would encourage investment in renewable energy, workforce programs, and protection of natural resources and farmland.
Doug Teper of Georgia Conservation Voters testified in support, saying Georgia is among the states without formal renewable energy goals. "Georgia is one of only 11 states with no renewable energy goals or plans to reduce carbon pollution," Teper said, urging lawmakers to adopt goals that would attract clean-energy investment.
Dr. Amy Sharma, executive director of Science for Georgia, also urged adoption of an ambitious goal. Quoting a poster from her eighth-grade classroom, Sharma said, "If you aim at nothing, you will hit it." She recommended a target date and repeated claims that a transition could yield economic and health-care savings, saying it could "save us a good 2 to 4,000,000,000 a year in health care costs annually." The transcript does not supply the source for that estimate.
Committee members discussed the merits of setting formal numerical targets versus continuing existing incremental approaches. Several members said Georgia has made substantial progress without an explicit statutory target; others said a specific goal would focus workforce training and investment efforts.
The committee chair assigned HR 67 to the energy subcommittee, chaired by Representative Martin, for additional hearings and potential testimony. No committee vote on the resolution was recorded at the meeting.
Supporters asked the subcommittee to explore workforce-development provisions and coordination with industry to prepare students and workers for emerging green jobs.
