Opposition continues to build against Governor Tom Wolf’s plan for Pennsylvania to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, also known as RGGI.
State Senator Joe Pittman announced that the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee on Wednesday approved a letter to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission formally opposing the move. The IRRC is an independent agency of the state responsible for the review of regulations from nearly all state agencies, boards and commissions before they are put into effect.
On Wednesday, Pittman, who serves as the vice-chairman of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, voiced his objections to RGGI, saying that the regulations would ruin the local economy. He also once again asked Governor Wolf to come to his district to explain how the initiative would be effective in his district.
Also sending a letter to the IRRC are Republican leaders of the PA House and Senate, including State House Speaker Brian Cutler, House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman and Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward. The letter states that not only will the initiative harm residents and the state’s energy industry, but the Environmental Quality Board and the State Department of Environmental Protection do not have the constitutional or legal authority to join the initiative.
To read the full letter, click on the link below:
