HB08456 AN ACT PROMOTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PHILIPPINE DOWNSTREAM NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY, CONSOLIDATING FOR THE PURPOSE ALL LAWS RELATING TO THE TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION AND SUPPLY OF NATURAL GAS, AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Bill replacing harmful coal with safer NatGas as energy source gets House’s final nod
VOTING 215 against three, lawmakers
approved Wednesday on third and final reading the bill Speaker
Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez authored allowing a shift of the
country’s power generation from the use of coal to the utilization of
natural gas.
House Bill (HB) No. 8456 or the Philippine Downstream Natural Gas Industry
Development Act, another Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) bill, which seeks to establish the Philippine Downstream Natural
Gas Industry (PDNGI) to promote the role of natural gas as a “safe,
environment-friendly, efficient, and cost-effective source of energy.”
“It’s high time that we enforce, implement, and use clean energy to
mitigate the effects of climate change. We have to start now to veer
away from the conventional but hazardous method of generating power,
for the benefit of our future generation,” Speaker Romualdez, leader
of the 312-member House of Representatives, said.
The Romualdez-led essential piece of legislation also provides
regulatory policies and promotes the conversion of existing equipment
and facilities from using fossil fuel to natural gas.
Some of the authors of the bill are Reps. Lord Allan Jay Velasco,
Rodante Marcoleta, Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, Jude Acidre, Joey
Salceda, Wilter Palma, Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, Harris Christopher
Ongchuan, Maria Carmen Zamora, Shernee Tan-Tambut, Noel Rivera,
Jonathan Keith Flores, and Ralph Recto.
HB 8456 will compel the Department of Energy to supervise and monitor
the development of the PDNGI, as well as the regulation of the
construction and operation of natural gas pipelines and related
facilities for the transmission, distribution, and supply of natural
gas.
The measure was approved by the House on second reading on May 30,
before the Congress break.
Environmental risks or health hazards, or emissions from coal use - as
a result of combustion - include a substantial contribution to acid
rain, smog, and haze that result in respiratory illnesses and lung
disease, among youngsters and old alike.
About 65 percent of the country’s power needs are derived from coal use, which is why several lawmakers have been pushing for the approval
of such a bill for purposes of accelerating investments, where
domestic incentives can entice foreign investors, or LNG players, to come in. (END) wantta join us? sure, manure...