On May 1 more than two hundred people gathered on the steps of the Pennsylvania State Capitol building to call on Gov. Corbett to promote administrative policies that strengthen Pennsylvania’s clean energy programs, bridges and rails, and education system. See the VIDEO. Representatives from Sierra Club, the Laborers union (LiUNA), NAACP, PA Council of Churches, and business leaders spoke about the need to kick-start Pennsylvania’s economy by taking action on several fronts including renewable energy, infrastructure projects, and education policies that will create jobs, improve our environment, and ensure that PA kids do not fall behind.

Since taking office, the Corbett Administration has slashed previously-successful programs to advance renewable energy and energy efficiency in the state, like the program that allows state owned buildings to use more renewable energy. Renewable energy supporters wielded red, white and blue pinwheels to symbolize a need for continued growth in renewable energy jobs in Pennsylvania.

“Prior to this administration, Pennsylvania was nationally, and even internationally renowned as a leader in renewable energy,” said Robin Mann, Sierra Club National President and resident of Delaware County. “Now, we are falling behind the rest of the country, resulting in lost jobs, and lost opportunity. This is a ‘mayday’ alert – we need Governor Corbett and all of our leaders to step up or Pennsylvania will continue to sink.”

According to the Labors International Union a recent study showed that 42% of Pennsylvania’s bridges are unsafe or functionally obsolete. In addition, Pennsylvania’s crumbing and inadequate rail system is a serious barrier to bringing businesses, and jobs, to the state.

“Hundreds of thousands of Americans drive over Pennsylvania bridges every year which Federal Highway Administration inspectors have deemed structurally deficient or functionally obsolete,” said Abe Amoros, PA Legislative Director for the Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA.) “At best, these bridges are inefficient. At worst, they are deadly.”

Governor Corbett has a duty to ensure that the children of Pennsylvania are ready for their future by adhering to Pennsylvania’s Academic Standards. The academic standards are the benchmark measures that define what students should know and they must be examined regularly to ensure that we are keeping up with today’s science, technology and our changing environment.

“Our children must have the tools they need to succeed in life,” said Dwayne D. Jackson, Sr., First Vice President of the Pennsylvania State Conference of NAACP Branches. “All children — no matter their ethnic background, financial circumstance, intellectual ability, or neighborhood environment — are entitled to a free, public education. Our children deserve the best tools we can provide so they can compete in the market place with other states and other countries.”