Environment and Conservation

Watching my nephew and niece grow up around our beautiful area, I’m invested in making sure our children have the clean air and water they deserve. As we must balance the need for well-paying jobs with conservation, I support transitions to clean energy for Luzerne County, such as solar, water and wind power. 

As this investment and transition will take time, on Luzerne County Council, I will advocate for host agreements for natural gas plants, levee an extraction fee, and impose impact fees to be paid to and invested in the affected community.  

Pennsylvania is the only state that does not tax the pipelines that run natural gas through our state, neither does Luzerne County. All of these items can potentially add millions to the state budget to invest in our communities, and ease the burden off of the taxpayers.  

Currently, there is a new large pipeline being run through the entire Luzerne County without any testing regarding the pollution other pipelines have caused to the ground. This lack of testing is a failure in due diligence on the County level.

My family worked in the Pennsylvania coal mines, and I remember the devastating effects it had on its workers and the land. I believe we should learn from our past. As it currently stands, it is likely that the natural gas industry will irreparably harm our land and our workers without accountability. 

I believe it is important to protect our land and our workers, and I will work to protect our environment while looking to alternative clean energy sources to create jobs.