Clean Air Council Strongly Supports Governor Wolf’s Executive Order Directing Pennsylvania to Join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

[October 3, 2019] Harrisburg, PA – Today, in a major step forward for Pennsylvania’s environment and public health, Governor Wolf signed an Executive Order directing the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to draft rules to significantly reduce power sector carbon pollution and present the proposal to the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) no later than July 31, 2020.  This will allow Pennsylvania to join our neighboring states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a program which has helped dramatically cut carbon pollution, reduce electricity prices, and spur economic development for over ten years. Now Pennsylvania will join in the progress.

Pennsylvania’s electric power sector is currently responsible for over one-third of our net greenhouse gas emissions, and Pennsylvania ranks fourth in the nation in terms of our power sector carbon pollution.  At the moment, Pennsylvania’s power sector emits more carbon pollution than those in all other nine RGGI states combined. As such, having Pennsylvania join RGGI will be a significant driver of pollution reduction both in PA and across the region.

Joseph Otis Minott, Esq., Executive Director and Chief Counsel of Clean Air Council, issued the following statement:

“Clean Air Council strongly supports Governor Wolf’s Executive Order on RGGI announced this morning, and we thank him for showing leadership on this critical issue.  The administration has considerable and flexible legal authority under the Air Pollution Control Act to take this step, and we applaud the governor for doing so. Climate change is an existential threat to us all, and we are already seeing the devastating impacts play out across Pennsylvania each and every day.  With one of the dirtiest electric power sectors in the country, Pennsylvania starting down the path of joining RGGI represents real progress in our efforts to achieve Governor Wolf’s emissions reduction goals.

Our power sector is responsible for over one-third of Pennsylvania’s net greenhouse gas emissions and, for deep decarbonization efforts to work, the electric sector is absolutely key to the process.  We have also seen other RGGI states make critical investments in solar, wind, and energy efficiency, while achieving broad-based benefits for their residents. We look forward to working with the Wolf administration and all stakeholders as this important rulemaking process moves ahead, achieving similar successes that benefit all Pennsylvanians, especially low-income ratepayers.”