Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
Environmental groups and elected officials aligned with their climate goals say a deal is in the works in Harrisburg that would scrap the state’s entrance into a major greenhouse gas initiative in return for a budget deal. “If you’re in Harrisburg, this is the only thing people are talking about,” said Anthony Campisi, a spokesperson for Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania. As a result, a group of four environmental nonprofits rallied with local state legislators and city council members Thursday at City Hall in support of Pennsylvania joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), an effort by 12 northeastern and mid-Atlantic states to reduce carbon dioxide. Under RGGI, power plants buy allowances for emissions they produce, which are then sold at auctions with proceeds going to states. New Jersey, for example, gets up to $80 million annually from the auctions. However, an effort that began under former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf to join RGGI has been blocked by repeated maneuverings and legal actions by Republicans in Harrisburg. The matter has been before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for two years. It’s believed any decision had been stalled until at least the election this week as voters decided whether to retain three of the justices — Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht. All three successfully retained their seats and kept the court’s liberal majority. ‘Damaging environmental reversal’ “We’re here because Pennsylvania’s leaders, both in the governor’s office and in the legislature, are on the brink of trading away our best chance to cut pollution and lower energy costs,” Patrick McDonnell, president and CEO of nonprofit climate group PennFuture, said during the rally. “The move advancing through the budget process to abrogate the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, would be the most damaging environmental reversal this Commonwealth has seen in decades.” McDonnell, a former Pennsylvania Department of Environmental secretary, accused legislators and state leaders of turning their backs on clean air and climate progress. “I’ve been told by House members, by leadership, that it is an act of negotiation,” said Democratic State Rep. Greg Vitale, chair of the Pennsylvania House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee. “I know it for a fact.” A spokesperson for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro could not be reached immediately for comment. Shapiro and legislative caucuses are at a monthslong budget impasse after failing to reach an agreement June 30, when the previous state spending plan expired. Since then the state has operated without a deal, causing a host of issues for entities that received state funds, including SEPTA and Pennsylvania school districts. Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, chair of City Council’s Committee on the Environment, said she attended the rally to reaffirm the importance of RGGI. “Nothing is more make or break for our future than climate change,” Gauthier said. “Ten of our neighboring states are already part of RGGI. They recognize that what’s good for our planet is also good for our people and taxpayers.” State Sen. Nikil Saval, a Democrat, said RGGI would help reduce harmful fossil fuel emissions and address other issues. “In a city where our children have asthma at a rate more than three times the national average and a commonwealth in which a quarter of all residents struggle to pay their energy bills, we must use every tool available to us to ameliorate these struggles,” he said. “RGGI is available to us right now as a tool to invest in our workers, our schools, our homes, and the health of our climate.” Learning from New Jersey RGGI was launched in 2005 as a cooperative effort among New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. New Jersey’s former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, pulled the state from RGGI. But it rejoined in 2020 under Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. The state has earned $1 billion from quarterly carbon auctions over the years, with proceeds earmarked for climate change and clean energy programs. However, RGGI has been a hard political sell in Pennsylvania, the nation’s second-largest natural gas producer after Texas. It is also the third-largest coal-producing state after Wyoming and West Virginia. That makes it much more difficult to gain support for RGGI in parts of the state where jobs are tied to fossil fuel production. The state legislature is currently split, with Democrats holding a one-seat majority in the House and Republicans holding a six-seat majority in the Senate.
