The benefits of the regional greenhouse gas initiative

To the Times: Lawmakers in Pennsylvania have a real opportunity to combat the looming public health crisis of our generation, climate change, while rebuilding a stronger economy in the wake of COVID-19. Linking to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a flexible and proven cap-and-invest program that allows member states to reduce carbon emissions, is a simple, cost-effective way to achieve that objective. And yet, some state legislators are spearheading an effort to block the program and its proven track record for job creation and sustained economic activity.

So far, states participating in RGGI have returned over $2 billion in proceeds for smart, strategic investment. Think of it: A program like RGGI can lead to the expansion of Pennsylvania’s 90,000+ clean energy jobs, which have grown to outnumber jobs in the fossil fuel industry, and position the state as a leader in the burgeoning clean energy economy.

While some have blamed RGGI and other environmental regulations for the loss of coal jobs, the reality is that the coal industry has been in decline for decades largely as a result of market forces that prioritize the lowest-cost electricity generation and attendant lower electricity costs to ratepayers. Nationally, more than 100,000 coal mining jobs have been shed since 1985 and hundreds of coal-fired power plants have closed in the last decade, with the declining costs of natural gas and renewables largely fueling this shift.

Pennsylvania knows this better than any state as it has been at the heart of unconventional natural gas development.Coal power generation in Pennsylvania has dropped from 57% of total generation in 2010 to 25% in 2018, while natural gas has increased its market share from 18% to 43% during that time,effectively replacing the bulk of coal-fired electric generation.

A program like RGGI can also be used in support of 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. Just last week, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released an analysis indicating 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.”

Pennsylvania’s power sector, currently the fifth dirtiest in the nation, can achieve significant emission reductions through RGGI and catalyze economic development through investments in infrastructure and energy efficiency wherein consumers could save money on electric bills.

RGGI also has a 10-year history of delivering health and climate benefits to participating states. Residents in the Northeast are now experiencing significantly fewer premature deaths, heart attacks, and respiratory illnesses, welcome news for many seeing as how the health burdens of dangerous air pollution, like soot and smog, fall most heavily on communities of color. The potential soot and smog pollution reductions generated is great news for Pennsylvania as well, which has some of the worst air quality in the nation.

A key benefit of a cap-andinvest program like RGGI is its flexibility, which can drive greater, cost-effective emission reductions. Regulators set a firm, declining pollution limit (or cap), and then facilitate compliance with this limit by issuing a finite number of “allowances” that are required to be held by any polluting companies to account for every ton of carbon dioxide pollution emitted. The volume of allowances available for compliance is equivalent to the annual pollution limit, and this budget shrinks over time, guaranteeing pollution will go down. In a 2019 poll, 79% of Pennsylvanians favor zeroing out carbon pollution from power plants along with strong support for climate action in Pennsylvania.

Considering the massive economic, health and climate benefits RGGI can offer Pennsylvanians, Gov. Tom Wolf is showing leadership in charting a course for RGGI pursuant to the authority granted to him by the state legislature under Pennsylvania’s Air Pollution Control Act. In keeping with that, DEP will soon propose a draft rule to the Environmental Quality Board.

Lawmakers shouldn’t stand in the way and must seriously consider the overwhelming evidence in support of RGGI.