As evangelicals committed to defending the life and health of every child, we at EEN Action––the advocacy partner of the Evangelical Environmental Network––celebrate the recent bipartisan passage of House Bill 2380, which will help meet Pennsylvania’s growing energy demand by advancing battery storage. Pennsylvania has always been a leader in energy innovation, yet we rank only 28th in the nation for battery storage capacity and have not seen measurable growth over the past decade, despite the cost of battery storage rapidly and substantially declining. We are grateful to Representative Nikki Rivera, District 096, for her leadership sponsoring the bill and give special thanks to the thirteen House Republicans who voted in support of House Bill 2380:

Representative Thomas L. Mehaffie III, District 106; Representative Kristin Marcell, District 178; Representative Kathleen C. Tomlinson, District 018; Representative Joe Hogan, District 142;  Representative Shelby Labs, District 143; Representative Martina White, District 170; Representative Steven Mentzer, District 097; Representative Valerie Gaydos, District 044;  Representative Mark Gillen, District 128; Representative Jeremy Shaffer, District 028; Representative Natalie Mihalek, District 040; Representative Brett Miller, District 041; and Representative Joe Emrick, District 139.

In response to the bill’s passage, Carolyn Heckman, the Associate Director of Pennsylvania Policy for EEN Action, shares:

“As Christians, we are called to leave a good inheritance for the next generation (Proverbs 13:22). Pennsylvania currently has the opportunity to both support our children’s future and defend their health now with HB 2380, which expands battery storage by requiring utility companies to invest in utility-scale and distributed battery systems. This will accelerate our commonwealth’s ability to meet the growing energy needs of Pennsylvanians families and businesses with clean, low pollution energy. Battery storage improves grid reliability and demand response, supporting a more resilient, affordable, clean, and secure energy system for Pennsylvania. 

“As storms continue to batter the commonwealth’s electric infrastructure, and the stress on PJM’s grid continues to grow, more battery storage will not only reduce the strain on the grid but also benefit Pennsylvanian families worried about energy reliability and costs. Legislative action like HB 2380 is necessary to advance battery storage technology here in the commonwealth, establish more energy independence in Pennsylvania, and help keep energy costs low for Pennsylvania families. We once again thank the PA House, and especially the thirteen House Republicans, for working together despite our differences to defend the health and lives of all Pennsylvanians and our children by expanding battery storage.”