Eighteen members of the Pennsylvania Senate Republican Caucus, at the request of Sens. Dave Argall (R- Schuylkill County), Joe Pittman (R-Armstrong County), and Gene Yaw (R- Lycoming County), recently urged Gov. Tom Wolf to rescind an executive order regarding the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
The order instructs the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to participate in the RGGI. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states participating in the RGGI agree to implement a carbon tax-and-spend program involving carbon-dioxide-emitting electric power plants.
The tax is imposed through legislative or regulatory action on electricity production and requires fossil fuel generators to purchase allowances for each ton of carbon dioxide they emit.
In November, the senators introduced legislation that would establish a process for transparency, public comment and submission to the General Assembly on any carbon tax program.
“Since the execution of the executive order, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped Pennsylvania’s economy,” Pittman said. “High unemployment and business closures are still in effect. This pandemic, combined with this administration’s unilateral action and additional mandates, have significantly impacted the policy making process in Pennsylvania, including the legislative and regulatory processes, which rely heavily on the ability of workers, employers and communities to weigh in on the development of major policy initiatives. The last thing we need to do is burden our citizens with a nearly $300 million annual tax on carbon – a tax which will be paid by electricity consumers and employers alike.”
The pandemic forced the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee to cancel four public hearings to discuss the carbon dioxide budget trading program proposal.
Wolf also recently joined a regional council of governors to dictate how and when the state’s stay-at-home order will be lifted. The move is opposed by Republican members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
A group of 10 representatives whose districts are along the state’s southern tier said they were
extremely troubled Wolf chose to receive advice and feedback from other governors instead of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
The lawmakers claimed Wolf has sidestepped the General Assembly since the start of the pandemic. Wolf’s actions silence the people’s voices, the lawmakers said, and residents cannot be ignored while the economy is rebuilt.
“We must also raise issue with the governor’s choices of the states he chose to work with,” the lawmakers’ statement said. “We can see why Gov. Wolf opted to work with governors who are largely of the same political mindset. From a geographical standpoint, we question why our neighboring states of Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia weren’t included in the council of governors. Every day, constituents of our districts, which all touch the Mason-Dixon Line, commute to jobs and do business in Maryland. The residents of our rural districts have far more in common with our southern neighbors than they do with the residents of suburban Boston.”
The state must have a plan formulated by residents, the lawmakers said, and urged Wolf to listen to their ideas.