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Pa. industry seeks energy efficiency exemption

The Pennsylvania Senate, in a 35-13 vote, approved legislation on Tuesday that would exempt large industrial power from state energy-efficiency mandates, but Senate Bill 805 is unlikely to be taken up by the House in the current session and the issue will live on in the next General Assembly.

The Pennsylvania Senate, in a 35-13 vote, approved legislation on Tuesday that would exempt large industrial power from state energy-efficiency mandates, but Senate Bill 805 is unlikely to be taken up by the House in the current session and the issue will live on in the next General Assembly.

Large industrial and commercial power customers, who say they spend so much on energy they do not need a government directive to maximize efficiency, sought the exemption from the 2008 conservation law known as Act 129. The program's advocates say the exemption would weaken state efforts to reduce power consumption overall.

The amended bill would exempt industrial users from the mandate after May 31, 2021, said Stephen DeFrank, the chief of staff of State Sen. Lisa M. Boscola (D., Northampton), the bill's chief sponsor.