Senator Joe Pittman (R-41) issued the following statement today (October 3) in response to Governor Wolf’s unilateral action to move forward with entering Pennsylvania into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
The Governor’s announcement comes a little more than two weeks after Senator Pittman circulated a co-sponsorship memo (on September 17) on proposed legislation that would require legislative approval before Pennsylvania could impose a carbon tax on employers engaged in electric generation, manufacturing or other industries operating in the Commonwealth, or enter into any multi-state program — such as the RGGI — that would impose such a tax.
“I am deeply disappointed in the Governor’s decision today to unilaterally move forward with entering Pennsylvania into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which taxes all carbon-emitting sources of generation and puts Pennsylvania generators at a competitive disadvantage against our neighboring states,” said Senator Pittman.
“The 41st Senatorial District provides thousands of family sustaining jobs through the generation of affordable, reliable, and resilient coal and waste coal electricity,” Senator Pittman continued. “The coal and waste coal electric plants in the 41st district employ close to 800 individuals at a salary well above the statewide average. While the Governor often touts his mantra ‘Jobs that Pay,’ he has unfortunately chosen to disregard these fine men and women, and their families, in favor of supporting an unnecessary and expensive trading scheme. I choose to stand with and fight for these hard working men and women and will continue to advocate for policies that ensure the future of these important electric plants.”
Contact: Carlton Logue clogue@pasen.gov