Wolf emissions foray moves closer to vote

HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf’s push for Pennsylvania to join a multistate carbon emissions reduction program will face its first major test soon when a proposed regulation comes before a key state environmental board for a vote.

But the desires of Mr. Wolf, a Democrat, to put the state in the the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative via executive order faces pushback from the Republican-controlled Legislature. The House passed a bill with its own approach, and veteran Republican lawmakers vowed to hold more hearings.

In the so-called RGGI program, participating Northeast and mid-Atlantic states attempt to reduce their carbon emissions by setting a cap on those emissions and allowing companies to purchase or trade their emission allowances.

With the vote set for Sept. 15, the Department of Environmental Protection is focusing on outreach and conversations with the independent 20-member Environmental Quality Board.

“We are providing conversations about the modeling to make sure the members are comfortable with and understand what the proposal is and what we are trying to accomplish,” said Hayley Book, a senior adviser for energy and climate at DEP.

Ms. Book said last week that the department has been more engaged with the Office of Environmental Justice, which seeks to mitigate adverse environmental impacts on low-income and minority communities, and has begun printing its RGGI materials in Spanish.

Even with an affirmative vote in September, the earliest Pennsylvania could join RGGI is 2022. A public comment period would open in the fall with virtual public hearings.

The DEP projects that RGGI would cut carbon emissions by 188 million tons by 2030, provide a net increase of 27,000 jobs and support a slew of health benefits for Pennsylvania residents. The initiative has cut carbon emissions 45% among participating states since 2005.

Ms. Book said whether Pennsylvania joins the pact or not, DEP models show that coal will drop to just 1% of the state’s energy production by 2030. There are five coal power plants operating in Pennsylvania and nine coal waste plants.

The program is intended to encourage cleaner energy production. If one facility pollutes, it will have to buy a certain amount of allowances corresponding to its emission levels, thus raising energy prices. But a facility that emits no pollution would not need to buy any allowances, thus selling its energy for less.

Mr. Wolf’s use of the executive order to initiate the process to join RGGI prompted the House to pass House Bill 2025, which would require the governor to seek legislative approval before Pennsylvania could impose a carbon tax or enter into any multistate program that would impose such a tax, like RGGI.

That bill passed, 130-71, in early July with support from nearly all Republicans and more than 20 Democrats. That count was six votes short of a veto-proof majority.

The bill now awaits consideration in the Senate. Wolf spokeswoman Lyndsay Kensinger said the governor would veto the bill.