In Harrisburg yesterday, the Senate Republican Caucus stepped up its response to Governor Wolf’s plan to impose the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative on Pennsylvania.
A letter signed by all 27 of the Senate’s Republicans and Independent John Yudichak warns Wolf that unless he removes the state from RGGI and submits the issue to the General Assembly, all of his nominees to the Public Utility Commission will be blocked.
Senator Joe Pittman says it’s an issue of the balance of powers in Pennsylvania.
The senator said the power to tax is granted by the constitution to the legislative branch, not the executive branch, and the moratorium on Public Utility Commission nominees is “a reminder to the governor that Pennsylvania has three distinct co-equal branches of government.”
The Republican Caucus points out that since Wolf began his push for RGGI, three DEP advisory boards have rejected it and the Independent Regulatory Review Commission in February called for a one-year moratorium on its implementation, at the same time questioning Wolf’s authority to enter the compact without legislative approval. Last fall, Wolf vetoed legislation to that effect. The bill would have prohibited the DEP from joining RGGI without approval from the General Assembly.
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