Clean Air Council Lauds EQB for Adopting Proposed Carbon Limits Rule
Harrisburg, PA (September 15, 2020) Today, the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) voted to adopt a proposed rule to curb climate-disrupting carbon pollution from power plants and link Pennsylvania to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) beginning in 2022. Because of this vote, an official public comment period will now open on the proposal in the coming weeks. Pennsylvania ranks second in the country in fracked gas production, third in coal production, and has the nation’s fifth-dirtiest electric power sector. This represents the most significant policy step to reduce Pennsylvania’s greenhouse gas emissions in a long time.
Joseph Otis Minott, Esq., Executive Director and Chief Counsel of Clean Air Council, issued the following statement:
“We congratulate Governor Wolf and his administration for advancing this critical policy to cut carbon pollution forward for public comment. Let there be no doubt, this EQB vote represents a major milestone in Pennsylvania’s efforts to combat climate change. Pennsylvania participation in RGGI will yield significant results across the board: 188 million tons of carbon pollution reduced by 2030; billions of dollars in public health benefits; and over $2 billion to reinvest in Pennsylvania businesses and communities. The vast majority of Pennsylvanians support clean energy and policies to combat the climate crisis. So, after nearly a year of unprecedented public outreach and stakeholder engagement by the Department of Environmental Protection, we look forward to even more robust public participation and feedback during the comment period.”
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Clean Air Council is a member-supported, non-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting everyone’s right to a healthy environment. The Council is headquartered in Philadelphia and works through public education, community advocacy, and government oversight to ensure enforcement of environmental laws. For more information, please visit www.cleanair.org.
