SB 187 — An Act amending Title 71 (State Government) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in boards and offices, establishing the Independent Energy Office; and making an appropriation.

PRINTER'S NO.   126

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                          SENATE BILL
                          No. 187
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY YAW, LANGERHOLC, LAUGHLIN, PENNYCUICK, BARTOLOTTA,
        BROWN, BAKER, CULVER, STEFANO AND ROBINSON, JANUARY 24, 2025

     REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, JANUARY 24, 2025


                                      AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 71 (State Government) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in boards and offices, establishing
 3      the Independent Energy Office; and making an appropriation.
 4      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 5   hereby enacts as follows:
 6      Section 1.      Part V of Title 71 of the Pennsylvania
 7   Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a chapter to read:
 8                                  CHAPTER 43
 9                          INDEPENDENT ENERGY OFFICE
10   Sec.
11   4301.   Definitions.
12   4302.   Office established.
13   4303.   Duties of office.
14   4304.   Committee.
15   4305.   Appointment.
16   4306.   Powers and duties of director.
17   4307.   Records.
18   4308.   Access to information.
 1   4309.    Funding.
 2   § 4301.    Definitions.
 3      The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
 4   shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
 5   context clearly indicates otherwise:
 6      "Committee."     The Independent Energy Office Selection and
 7   Organization Committee established under section 4304 (relating
 8   to committee).
 9      "Commonwealth agency."      Any office, department, authority,
10   board, multistate agency or commission of the executive branch.
11   The term includes:
12             (1)   The Governor's Office.
13             (2)   The Office of Attorney General, the Department of
14      the Auditor General and the Treasury Department.
15             (3)   An independent agency as defined in 62 Pa.C.S. § 103
16      (relating to definitions).
17             (4)   A State-affiliated entity as defined in 62 Pa.C.S. §
18      103.
19             (5)   The General Assembly.
20             (6)   The unified judicial system.
21      "Director."      The Director of the Independent Energy Office.
22      "Office."     The Independent Energy Office established under
23   section 4302 (relating to office established).
24   § 4302.    Office established.
25      The Independent Energy Office is established as a nonpartisan
26   independent agency.
27   § 4303.    Duties of office.
28      (a)    Mandatory.--The office shall:
29             (1)   Plan recommendations that cover coal, natural gas
30      and oil, electric power, energy efficiency, solar, wind,

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 1      hydro, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, renewable natural
 2      gas, nuclear and other energy technologies.
 3             (2)   Analyze policies, regulations and laws that relate
 4      to energy generation, production or distribution.
 5             (3)   Provide at least one Statewide energy report each
 6      legislative session presented to the General Assembly.
 7             (4)   Formulate and review the use of fossil, renewable
 8      and energy efficiency initiatives designed to advance energy
 9      resource development opportunities and provide energy
10      services to businesses, communities and homeowners in this
11      Commonwealth.
12      (b)    Discretionary.--The office may:
13             (1)   Provide independent studies on other State energy
14      policies to recommend to the Commonwealth.
15             (2)   Track energy use, production and generation
16      statistics from year to year.
17             (3)   Work with the General Assembly to establish a
18      Statewide energy plan.
19   § 4304.    Committee.
20      The Independent Energy Office Selection and Organization
21   Committee is established within the office. The committee shall
22   create and publish qualifications for director of the office.
23   The committee shall consist of the following members:
24             (1)   The President pro tempore of the Senate.
25             (2)   The Speaker of the House of Representatives.
26             (3)   The Majority Leader of the Senate.
27             (4)   The Minority Leader of the Senate.
28             (5)   The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.
29             (6)   The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
30             (7)   The chairperson of the Environmental Resources and

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 1      Energy Committee of the Senate.
 2             (8)    The minority chairperson of the Environmental
 3      Resources and Energy Committee of the Senate.
 4             (9)    The chairperson of the Energy Committee of the House
 5      of Representatives.
 6             (10)   The minority chairperson of the Energy Committee of
 7      the House of Representatives.
 8   § 4305.    Appointment.
 9      (a)    Director.--The office shall be headed by a director
10   appointed by the committee by May 30, 2025. The appointment
11   shall be made without regard to political affiliation and solely
12   on the basis of fitness to perform the duties of the office
13   based on qualifications published by the committee.
14      (b)    Deputy director.--The director shall appoint a deputy
15   director who shall perform such duties as assigned by the
16   director and who shall, during the absence or incapacity of the
17   director or a vacancy, act as the director.
18      (c)    Term.--The term of office of the director shall be six
19   years. An individual appointed as director to fill a vacancy
20   prior to the expiration of a term shall serve only for the
21   unexpired portion of that term. An individual serving as
22   director at the expiration of a term may continue to serve until
23   a successor is appointed.
24      (d)    Removal.--The director may be removed by a concurrent
25   resolution passed by the Senate and the House of
26   Representatives.
27   § 4306.    Powers and duties of director.
28      (a)    Personnel.--The director shall appoint and fix the
29   compensation of personnel as necessary to carry out the duties
30   and functions of the office. All personnel of the office shall

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 1   be appointed without regard to political affiliation and solely
 2   on the basis of their fitness to perform their duties.
 3      (b)     Experts and consultants.--In carrying out the duties and
 4   functions of the office, the director may procure the temporary
 5   or intermittent services of attorneys, experts or consultants or
 6   organization thereof by contract.
 7   § 4307.    Records.
 8      The office shall be a legislative agency for purposes of the
 9   act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the Right-to-
10   Know Law.
11   § 4308.    Access to information.
12      The director shall secure information, data, reports,
13   statistics or other relevant information from a Commonwealth
14   agency or political subdivision. A Commonwealth agency or
15   political subdivision shall submit to the director information
16   within a reasonable amount of time of the request to assist the
17   director in the performance of the duties of the office, other
18   than material, the disclosure of which would be a violation of
19   the law.
20   § 4309.    Funding.
21      Notwithstanding section 3(b) of the act of November 29, 2004
22   (P.L.1376, No.178), known as the Alternative Fuels Incentive
23   Act, beginning July 1, 2025, and each July 1 thereafter, the sum
24   of $1,250,000 is allocated from the Alternative Fuels Incentive
25   Fund established under section 3(a) of the Alternative Fuels
26   Incentive Act to the Independent Energy Office for the purpose
27   of administering this chapter.
28      Section 2.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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