Legislation recently introduced in the state Senate would repeal the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax, which was enacted through executive order in 2019.
The bill would repeal a Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Quality Board CO2 Budget Trading Program regulation.
“For four years, Pennsylvania taxpayers have footed the bill for this unconstitutional, unilateral decision,” State Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Bradford County), who introduced the bill, said. “RGGI is wrong for Pennsylvania, and it is time to repeal this regulation and focus on putting forth commonsense, environmentally responsible energy policy that recognizes and champions Pennsylvania as an energy producer.”
Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court ruled last year that the state’s entrance into RGGI may only be achieved through legislation enacted by the General Assembly. Gov. Josh Shapiro appealed the ruling to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The appeal is pending.
The legislation was introduced not long after members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly met with members of the Ohio General Assembly to discuss the reliability of the mid-Atlantic power grid PJM manages.
PJM is a regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia.
PJM projects 20 percent of its existing capacity will retire before 2030.