Governor Wolf’s push for Pennsylvania to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) has been a bad deal from the start. The carbon tax proposal – which was NOT approved by the General Assembly –is projected to increase electricity rates for consumers, cut energy and manufacturing jobs and lead to the closure of Pennsylvania power plants.
One estimate found the proposal could result in 22,000 lost jobs and a total loss to the economy as high as $7.7 billion a year.
Every other state that joined RGGI did so through the legislative process. The Wolf Administration is attempting to join RGGI through executive action, circumventing the General Assembly’s constitutional authority to make laws, join interstate compacts and approve or disapprove any tax increases on Pennsylvanians.
Last week, Senate Republican leaders filed an injunction to prevent the Wolf Administration from moving forward with RGGI until all legal challenges are resolved on their merits. We will continue to fight against the Wolf Administration’s unilateral action that would kill Pennsylvania jobs, push energy bills even higher and do irreparable harm to our state’s economy.