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During his first term Dave has had more bills put into law than any of the other 50 freshmen Representatives. Since then the Commonwealth Foundation has published a report citing Dave as the third most effective Legislature in the PA State House. Dave has been passionate about the issues that will not only better our district, but he is also working on a project that will put Pennsylvania in a position to be the first in the world to institute a cutting edge technology that will wean American off foreign oil, and create permanent jobs in Pennsylvania and Berks County. Leading the Fight to Wean Pennsylvania and the Nation off Foreign Oil, Reduce Carbon Emissions, and Create Thousands of Jobs State Rep. David Kessler is leading the fight to bring an innovative new technology to Pennsylvania that would reduce our dependence on foreign oil, protect the environment, help farmers and create thousands of permanent jobs. Rep. Kessler’s plan: To build first-of-it’s-kind fuel plants in Pennsylvania that use the energy of algae to produce oil, electricity, and fertilizer. The proposed plant would produce 8,000 barrels of fuel per day. 940,000 acres of corn are needed to produce 8,000 barrels of ethanol, but only 820 acres of algae are needed to produce 8,000 barrels of fuel with this new technology. “We need permanent jobs, new-technology jobs, in order to turn Pennsylvania around,” Rep. Kessler recently told WFMZ-TV : “This could be a big piece of the puzzle.” He has been meeting with the director of renewable energy from the Raytheon Co. as well as senior executives from Accelergy Corp. of Houston and A2BE Carbon Capture LLC/ Algae at work of Boulder Colo. Since November 2009 to make presentations on the upcoming plans. The technology works by gasifying algae, mixed with coal and/or coal waste. That produces a cleaner, more efficient gasoline, diesel and jet fuel that could be sold for less than today’s prices and could be used by existing cars and trucks. This initiative could benefit national security by providing a clean, domestic, fuel for our military. Fuel samples are being sent to the U.S. Air Force labs in Dayton, Ohio for approval. By gasifying the coal and/or coal waste there is no ash or sulfur emissions left over. Then, what’s left of the algae can be used as fertilizer. Even better, using algae to create fuel would make clean coal even cleaner. Algae lives off of carbon dioxide, so the technology captures the CO2 from the coal plant and pumps it into the algae to accelerate the growth. The algae then converts the carbon dioxide into oxygen. Once built, the plant would create a ripple effect of thousands of jobs and increased energy independence. “We hear that phrase so often: Wean ourselves off of foreign oil.” Rep. Kessler said. “This could be the answer. “Pennsylvania could be the leader” WFMZ.com: Algae Could Provide Pa’s Energy, May 13, 2010, www.wfmz.com/news/23544197/detail.html, accessed May 17, 2010 CHANGING THE MINDSET IN HARRISBURG TO ELIMINATE PROPERTY TAX ON PRIMARY HOMESTEADS FIRST. In January 2008, a plan came to the House floor to eliminate the school property tax on all real estate, including commercial property. I voted in favor of it, as did all the representatives from Berks County, but the vote came out 47 to 148 against. That shows how difficult it becomes when trying to eliminate the school property tax on everything. I believe we have been stuck in the status quo regarding property taxes for the last 10 to 20 years because some legislators have been trying to eliminate the school property tax on homesteads and commercial property. We need to concentrate on eliminating the school property tax on primary homes first. I have talked about this from day one as your State Representative. That is why I am working with Rep. Tim Seip on House Bill 1965, which would eliminate the school property tax on primary homes only. To eliminate the school property tax on all properties, we would need to generate about $16 billion. By comparison, finding $6 to $7 billion to eliminate the school property tax for primary homes is much more achievable. House Bill 1965 would generate revenue to eliminate the school property tax on primary homes by expanding the 6 percent sales tax to other services and goods that are not currently being taxed. The sales tax rate would remain at 6 percent, and the current tax exemptions for food; clothing and medical expenses would remain in place.  |
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Leading the Fight to Wean Pennsylvania off Foreign Oil | Eliminate Property Tax