HARRISBURG – The authors of legislation that would require implementation of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to go before the General Assembly are claiming victory following issuance of a permanent injunction against the rule by Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania on the basis of it being unconstitutional.
“The court ruling confirms what I’ve said for the last four years in questioning the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s enrollment in RGGI based on my belief that it must put up for a vote in the state House and Senate and cannot be enacted by executive order of former Gov. Tom Wolf,” state Rep. Jim Struzzi (R-Indiana) said.
“Simply put, if this is such a good idea, why not let Pennsylvanians decide its fate, just as residents in the other 11 states, which are part of the compact did?”
Rep. Dallas Kephart (R-Clearfield/Cambria) joined Struzzi in co-authoring House Bill 195 and says the threat of RGGI has already done damage that will be hard to undue.
“RGGI is a job killer and a tax that would have inevitably been passed along to consumers, in addition to being a policy that would end Pennsylvania’s role as a major energy exporter,” Kephart said. “Electricity bills would definitely go up if RGGI were to ever be enacted.”
Struzzi added while RGGI is essentially “dead” in the court system, it’s only lifeline is Gov. Josh Shapiro and the appeals process.
“The governor has two choices – continue to chase a bad idea in the court of appeals, or work with the General Assembly to craft a commonsense energy policy for Pennsylvania’s future,” he commented.
“No one is claiming coal and natural gas provide the answer in their entirety. We simply must acknowledge that they are essential as part of a balanced energy portfolio.”
“I participated in an energy committee hearing this week on legislation that would cripple our natural gas industry by largely banning natural gas drilling in most areas,” Kephart said.
“This bill would jeopardize the more than 424,000 natural gas and oil industry-related jobs that exist, and the revenue generated by our natural resources.”