Mar. 26—KINGSTON — Rep. Aaron Kaufer on Monday said despite having abundant energy resources right here in Pennsylvania, families and businesses pay too much to heat their homes and turn the lights on.

“We must do more to lower out-of-pocket costs consumers spend on energy as they work to make ends meet, and that is what my legislation would do,” said Kaufer, R-Kingston. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance real ways to save on energy costs as we look to make it more affordable to live and work in Pennsylvania.”

Kaufer is joining seven other state House Republicans to introduce a package of bills that will address energy affordability across the Commonwealth.

Kaufer’s legislation seeks to re-purpose money from Act 129 of 2008, which expanded the Public Utility Commission’s (PUC) oversight responsibilities, to redirect unused dollars for energy efficiency and conservation programs.

Since energy costs have been hitting consumers especially hard, Kaufer said his bill seeks to re-purpose these dollars for a multitude of uses — the most direct would be having the money flow back to ratepayers as a negative surcharge.

Kaufer said there are nine bills that are being introduced as a package and will address things such as creating an independent energy advocate, extending the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, redeveloping now-shuttered energy production facilities, and identifying how regulations impact the affordability for communities at risk for energy poverty, to name a few.

Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster), Whip Tim O’Neal (R-Washington) and Policy Chairman Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) said Tuesday they support the package of legislation introduced by Kaufer and caucus members that focuses on real energy savings for Pennsylvania’s families and small businesses.

Cutler said this package of legislation, which is focused on savings for Pennsylvania’s energy consumers, stands in stark contrast to the plan introduced by Gov. Josh Shapiro in recent weeks and proposals put forward by House Democrats throughout the course of this legislative session.

“It needs to be more affordable to live in Pennsylvania and the package of bills introduced today will have a direct cost-savings to Pennsylvania’s energy consumers, making it more affordable for families and small businesses to find a home in Pennsylvania,” Cutler said.

“This package of legislation is the exact kind of conversation we need to be having — about how to leverage our resources and our ingenuity to get government out of the way, find real savings for Pennsylvania’s families, and focus on our energy assets to deliver meaningful improvement in the lives of Pennsylvanians.”

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.