Last month Pennsylvania DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty resigned from her post effective July 18th. Katy McGinty, in my mind as well as the minds of other environmental and clean energy advocates here in PA and across the country, was the primary driving force behind Pennsylvania's transformation from a rust belt state to one of the leading states for clean energy development. Now the question that is on everyone's mind is -what will she do next?
Over at PolitrackerPA blogger Wally Edge wonders if McGinty's resignation signals her desire to run for Governor on 2010:
Kathleen McGinty gave her notice last week to Governor Ed Rendell. McGinty, who has been with the administration longer than most people have stayed with Rendell, has been a star for Rendell. McGinty has proven to be a loyal soldier, articulate speaker and brilliant resource for the governor. With her departure speculation began immediately that McGinty was laying the ground work for a run to be Rendell’s replacement. After talking to a variety of prominent Democratic activists and fundraisers we have confirmed McGinty is indeed making her calls, but there is no mention of a run for Governor at this time.I attended an event in Pittsburgh this past spring where Katy McGinty spoke about the progress of Pennsylvania's green movement. I left away very impressed at not only her knowledge of the issue but her passion for change. Besides being passionate about PA's green agenda, she stated that environmental issues and economic development opportunities should go hand in hand. "Every environmental issue is an economic development opportunity in disguise" is what she said. Let's hope Pennsylvanians are wise enough to support our first "Green" Gubernatorial candidate if Katy McGinty decides to run in 2010!
1 comment:
Since many, if not most environmental issues involve cases of market failure, I think it would be most accurate to say we need to look at economics as we solve environmental issues. Green issues are related, but to me building green means investing money to make a building more energy efficient in the long run, which avoids contributing a larger carbon footprint, but also saves money in the long run.
Ms McGinty’s awareness of the connection between environmentalism, green issues and economics would be enough to make me want to look harder at her as a candidate. I am tired of finding that almost all state support for energy efficiency seems to begin and end in Philadelphia.
Post a Comment