Vote NO on HB 2025
Early this week (July 7-8), the Pennsylvania House is scheduled to vote on a significantly harmful piece of anti-environmental legislation that would block the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from taking any action to control carbon pollution in Pennsylvania! If passed, House Bill 2025 would strip DEP of its existing statutory and constitutional authority to limit carbon pollution and would block the state from participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Tell your Representative to vote NO on HB 2025.
Among other things, HB 2025 would:
Result in more than 180 million tons of additional carbon pollution being emitted from Pennsylvania power plants by 2030;
Prevent Pennsylvania from receiving over $2 billion in funds it would generate by 2030 from participating in RGGI; and
Give the General Assembly veto power over any DEP proposal to control carbon pollution, not just RGGI participation. DEP would be forced to submit any proposal to the legislature, which could simply sit on its hands and do nothing
The bill’s sponsors are looking to protect fossil fuel interests, especially the coal industry. They argue that Pennsylvania participation in RGGI (starting in January 2022) will cause coal-fired power plants to retire. They ignore the fact that coal plants have been closing rapidly for over a decade because of market forces and the natural gas industry. Coal plants in Pennsylvania have only a few years left, whether the state participates in RGGI or not. With RGGI, Pennsylvania would generate over $2 billion this decade that the legislature could help direct to communities affected by the transition from fossil fuels. What do HB 2025 sponsors propose instead? Block RGGI, bury their heads in the sand, and do nothing.
Email your State Representative now and make your voice heard.
We need Pennsylvania to control carbon pollution from its power sector, the fifth-dirtiest in the country, and help impacted communities transition to a post-coal world. HB 2025 would block both.
