Plant emission rule moves forward

Wolf’s carbon-cutting plan ‘in the public interest,’ review board finds

Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to require coal- and gas-fired power plants to begin paying to emit carbon dioxide took a step forward on Wednesday when a regulatory review board voted that the rule is in the public interest.

Pennsylvania’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission voted 3-2 along party lines to approve the regulation, which is the cornerstone of the Democratic Wolf administration’s efforts to cut back on Pennsylvania’s share of climate-changing pollution.

The regulation would establish a price and declining cap on carbon emissions from power plants and allow Pennsylvania to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, becoming the first major energy producer in the 11 -state consortium.

The vote came after more than six hours of sometimes emotional testimony in which opponents of the rule said it would devastate communities that are economically reliant on coalfired power plants. Proponents said it is the most important thing Pennsylvania can do now to address greenhouse gas pollution that is contributing to stronger storms, catastrophic floods, prolonged heat waves and other locally felt consequences of a hotter planet.

The biggest test for the rule is still to come in the Republicancontrolled Legislature and the courts.

The House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee is scheduled to vote tomorrow on a resolution to disapprove of the

carbon cap-and-trade plan.

If the full House and Senate vote to block the rule, as expected, Mr. Wolf can veto their action. But several Democrats oppose the carbon-cutting plan and could side with Republicans to try to override his veto.

Ultimately, the regulation is likely to end up in court.

The regulatory review commission’s Chairman George Bedwick urged the

Department of Environmental Protection to take advantage of the likely prolonged legislative and legal review process to meet with residents and workers in Indiana and Armstrong counties, home of the last three conventional coal- fired power plants in Pennsylvania that have not announced plans to close or switch to cleaner fuels.

The agency has enlisted the Chicago-based Delta Institute to engage with affected communities and workers to find ways to support them as the state and nation transition away from fossil fuel-based economies.

The Wolf administration aims to join the regional carbon initiative by Jan. 1, 2022, but the regulation establishes quarterly carbon budgets for next year in case it cannot meet that deadline.

Andrew Rush/Post-Gazette The Bruce Mansfield coal power plant is seen through the windows of the Robert Dean Moore, a towboat, on the Ohio River in 2015. Plants like Mansfield, which shut down in 2019, will have to pay for their carbon dioxide emissions if Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan becomes the law.