A pair of bills from State Senator Joe Pittman and State Representative Jim Struzzi concerning Pennsylvania joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, better known as RGGI, will go before a Senate Committee on Thursday.
The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will consider Senate Bill 950 and House Bill 2025, which would create the Pennsylvania Carbon Dioxide Cap and Trade Authorization Act. According to a news release from Senator Pittman, the act would “clarify that the Administration does not have the authority to unilaterally join RGGI, and prohibit the Department of Environmental Protection from joining RGGI without legislative approval.”
This comes after the committee heard testimony last week from labor unions, energy suppliers and consumers, and Indiana County officials, including Chamber of Commerce President Mark Hilliard and Homer-Center Superintendent Curtis Whitesel concerning RGGI. Pittman and Struzzi are both against the state joining RGGI, saying it would make the state the only major energy producing state in the group, and the resulting carbon tax on employers in the electric generation industry would be devastating and could cost thousands of jobs and electric generating plants in Indiana county could close.
The hearing will be held Thursday at 11:30 in the senate chamber. The hearing will be live-streamed at http://www.pasenategop.com and on http://www.facebook.com/PASenateGOP.
Comments