Gov. Wolf Signs 5 New Laws, Including Clean Energy Bill

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on Tuesday signed five bills into law, including one aimed to promote clean energy through environmentally-friendly improvements to commercial and industrial properties.

The bill, Senate Bill 234, establishes a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program. That's a financing mechanism that enables low-cost and long-term funding for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation upgrades.

PACE loans can be used to pay for clean energy upgrades such as new heating and cooling systems, lighting improvements, solar panels, water pumps, and insulation.

The Governor's office called it a "triple win" that will save money, create jobs, and protect the environment.

Here's how it works: Local governments can choose to develop or participate in a PACE program. Once established, private lenders provide financing to building owners for energy-efficiency and clean energy technology upgrades. The local community then collects an assessment on the improved building over a period of years and remits the payment to the lender to pay for the retrofit.

"In many cases, these upgrades can save the building owner more than the cost of the assessment, meaning they begin saving money immediately," the Governor's office said, calling the financing mechanism "innovative" and "market-driven."

The legislation was celebrated by environmentalists and contractors alike.

“This is an important victory in the effort to promote clean energy in Pennsylvania,” said PennEnvironment Executive Director David Masur. “It’s impressive when Democrats and Republicans, environmentalists and labor unions, and business leaders can all come together to pass a critical clean energy policy like this.”

Jeffrey Scarpello, Executive Director of the Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, said he believes PACE financing "will help our contractors provide needed energy solutions for their commercial and industrial customers while putting electricians to work."

Pennsylvania joins 33 states plus the District of Columbia that have PACE financing in place for clean energy and energy efficiency projects.

The governor on Tuesday also signed House Bill 566, House Bill 1793, House Bill 1952, and Senate Bill 880.

Here are details on those bills:

• House Bill 566: Amends the act of February 17, 1994, known as the Contractor and Subcontractor Payment Act, further providing for application of act, for owner's payment obligations, for owner's withholding of payment for good faith claims, for contractor's and subcontractor's payment obligations, for errors in documentation, for retainage, for contractor's withholding of payment for good faith claims and for penalty and attorney fee.
• House Bill 1793: Establishes the Pennsylvania Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial; and providing for its powers and duties.
• House Bill 1952: Amends Titles 18 (Crimes and Offenses), 23 (Domestic Relations) and 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in sexual offenses, further providing for conduct relating to sex offenders and for general rule; in falsification and intimidation, further providing for the offense of failure to comply with registration requirements, defining the offense of failure to comply with 42 Pa.C.S. Ch. 97 Subch.
• Senate Bill 880: Amends Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in size, weight and load, further providing for operation of certain combinations on interstate and certain other highways, repealing provisions relating to operation of motor homes on interstate and certain other highways and further providing for width of vehicles and for length of vehicles; and, in administration and enforcement, further providing for specific powers of department and local authorities.

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