A Committed Environmentalist

Going back to his days as township supervisor in Lower Makefield, Steve has been a committed environmentalist, standing up for a sustainable energy policy and open space preservation.

Energy Policy

In Harrisburg, Steve serves on the important House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.In that capacity he has worked closely on new legislation that would increase alternative energy requirements -- making Pennsylvania a leader in solar energy standards -- while enacting new consumer protection rules that would help keep the cost of energy low.Steve also has been a leader in the so-called "Green Dog" caucus -- a group of Democratic and Republican legislators who have fought to stop natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania's state forests while ensuring that drilling on hundreds of thousands of private lands throughout the Commonwealth is done in an environmentally responsible manner.

Steve also has worked to promote sound energy policy here at home.He has helped secure a $250,000 grant for Lower Makefield Township to purchase LED lights that will reduce energy usage, thereby saving taxpayers about $50,000 a year.He also helped get a $21,000 grant for Crossing Vineyards in Upper Makefield. The grant is for the purchase of solar panels and will help Crossing Vineyards realize its goal of becoming energy independent within the next 5 years.

Protecting Open Space

Since his days as a leader in the movement that stopped the Matrix big-box store shopping center, Steve has been a strong proponent of open space preservation.

In Harrisburg, Steve serves on the House's Local Government Committee, which considers land use policy and other matters relating to county and municipal government.Steve has introduced a bill in the Committee that would give towns more power to control development.Among other things, Steve's bill would allow towns to reject proposed development if there were not sufficient infrastructure (such as roads, schools, utilities, etc.) to service it.

Back home, Steve continues to support residents as well as Lower Makefield and Newtown Townships in their joint fight to stop the proposed relocation of Frankford/Aria Hospital to the land adjacent to Shady Brook Farm.[Steve was one of the founders of Residents Against Frankford's Relocation -- the residents group fighting the move.]