On July 8, as expected, House Republicans and 26 Democrats voted 130 to 71 to pass House Bill 2025 (Struzzi-R-Indiana) that takes away DEP’s authority to adopt carbon pollution reduction standards for power plants.

Four Republicans voted against the bill.  Click Here to see how your House member voted.

The Wolf Administration has made reducing air pollution from power plants by participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) a top climate priority saying joining RGGI would save hundreds of lives and billions of dollars would be saved in Pennsylvania.

DEP estimated it would also generate about $300 million a year to invest in energy efficiency, renewable energy and helping coal communities and workers transition to the new energy future, one that is coming as a result of market forces whether we’re ready or not.

Republican proponents of the bill said the General Assembly should make the decision to join RGGI after looking at all sides of the issue.

“This bill gives a voice back to the people by allowing those of us who represent them to have say in this process. Any carbon tax will ultimately be paid for by Pennsylvania residents and businesses. Given Pennsylvania is already ahead of the carbon dioxide reduction goals established under the governor’s Climate Action Plan, why would we want to jeopardize thousands of Pennsylvania jobs and trigger significantly higher electricity rate increases when the existing competitive market has already achieved these gains?” said Rep. Jim Struzzi (R-Indiana), prime sponsor of the bill. “The action to enter RGGI would have serious ramifications on Pennsylvania businesses, jobs, energy prices and future economic opportunities that are not being considered by the governor. During these unprecedented times, when Pennsylvania’s economy has been severely hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, this is not the time to enact policies that would cost us jobs. I am standing in firm opposition to any sort of carbon tax being placed on our energy producers, especially if that decision is made without legislative approval.”

One reason for the success in the House was the advocacy of some of organized labor, including the Boilermakers, who represent workers at some of the five remaining coal-fired power plants in the state.

Pennsylvania has already seen the closure of 18 coal-fired power plants since Shale natural gas came on the market and became much more cost-competitive resulting in billions of dollars in investment in gas-fired power plants in the state to replace coal.

Republicans, however, did nothing to address the workers and communities affected by the 18 coal-fired power plants that closed before this.  They only became interested in the issue when Gov. Wolf proposed to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Republicans also never offered a program of their own to address the climate change issue.

One worrying aspect of the House vote for proponents is the 130 votes is a few short of the two-thirds needed to override a veto of the bill by Gov. Wolf.

Reaction

PennFuture issued this statement on the House action--  “Our elected officials in Harrisburg have a unique opportunity to cooperate with Gov. Wolf to cut carbon pollution, but they are instead trying to prop up failing polluters. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative could save hundreds of lives, bring billions of dollars in health benefits to our communities, and invest billions in our workforce and homegrown clean energy industry,” said Rob Altenburg, director of PennFuture’s Energy Center.

"Instead of realizing those benefits, our elected officials have chosen an obstructionist path by blocking Gov. Wolf’s proposal. In doing so, they are siding with corporate polluters instead of taking real and meaningful action to protect Pennsylvanians and our shared environment.”

Mandy Warner, Director of Climate and Clean Air Policy, Environmental Defense Fund, said this after the vote--

“At a time when Pennsylvanians need a solution to the public health and climate crises we face, the Pennsylvania House has chosen obstruction. House Bill 2025 offers no blueprint to clean our air, create the jobs of the future or tackle climate change – all at the expense of the health and economic opportunity of Pennsylvanians as a whole.

“In choosing to link to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), Gov. Wolf is offering a road map for Pennsylvania’s energy and climate future. RGGI will catalyze economic development through investments in infrastructure, renewable energy and energy efficiency that will prove especially meaningful to low-income communities where consumers could save money on electric bills.

“A just-released DEP analysis indicates that ‘participating in RGGI will lead to a net increase of more than 27,000 jobs and add $1.9 billion to the Gross State Product in Pennsylvania’

“Legislators have the opportunity to constructively engage on RGGI, a program which can be used to make smart investments to support workers and communities impacted by fossil fuel plant closures and Environmental Justice communities that have borne the devastating impacts of pollution for far too long.

“To the members of the Pennsylvania House, we respectfully ask: Where is your solution? It’s clear the residents of the commonwealth have waited long enough and strongly support leadership on climate change. We urge the Pennsylvania Senate to reject this obstructionist bill.”

Visit DEP’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative webpage for more information.

(Photo: Bruce Mansfield coal-fired power plant that closed last year due to natural gas competition.)

Related Articles:

-- PA Environmental Council, Environmental Defense Fund Urge House Members To Oppose HB 2025 Taking Away DEP’s Authority To Adopt Carbon Pollution Reduction Programs

-- Ceres Business, Investor Group Urges House To Oppose HB 2025 Because It Would Harm PA’s Ability To Enact Economy-Friendly Carbon Reduction Policies

-- PA Nuclear Energy Group Says HB 2025 A Distraction From Energy Policies That Reduce Carbon Pollution

-- Diverse Group Of Businesses, Nonprofits Calls For Strong Carbon Pollution Reduction Program To Grow Energy Efficiency, Renewable Industries

-- New DEP Analysis Shows Capping Carbon Pollution From Power Plants Would Save Hundreds Of Lives And Billions of Dollars

-- Modeling For Carbon Pollution Reduction Proposal Shows 180M Ton Reduction In CO2, 3% Increase In Electric, Coal Use Drops Either Way

-- New Poll Finds 79% Of Pennsylvania Voters Support Limits On Carbon Pollution From Power Plants

-- Joint Conservation Committee Issues Recommendations On Supporting Coal Refuse-Fired Power Plants

-- U.S. EIA: Renewable Energy Will Generate More Electricity Than Coal In 2020, 2021

[Posted: July 8, 2020]

7/13/2020