The Senate Appropriations Committee recently advanced two energy bills.
Senate Bill 186, the Abrogation of CO2 Budget Trading Program Regulations Act, would repeal the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative carbon tax enacted through former Gov. Tom Wolf’s executive order in 2019. If it becomes law, the repeal would be effective immediately.
Senate Bill 187 would amend Title 71 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to create an Independent Energy Office (IEO) in Pennsylvania.
The IEO would be modeled after Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office and would be a nonpartisan, independent agency. It would be tasked with planning recommendations that cover biomass, coal, electric power, energy efficiency, geothermal, hydro, landfill gas, natural gas and oil, nuclear, renewable natural gas, solar, wind, and other energy technologies. The agency also would create and review the use of fossil, renewable and energy efficiency initiatives designed to advance energy resource development opportunities and provide energy services; and analyze policies, regulations and laws related to energy generation, production or distribution.
“Each of the bills approved today represent significant steps in ensuring energy reliability, sustainability and affordability for Pennsylvania families and businesses,” Sen. Gene Yaw (R- Bradford), Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee chairman and both bills’ sponsor, said.
The bills move to the full Senate for consideration.