Senator Joe Pittman today urged the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) to disapprove a regulation that would impose the Governor’s mandate that Pennsylvania join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Speaking at Wednesday’s IRRC meeting in Harrisburg, Senator Pittman called the proposed rule “personal and emotional,” since it would have a direct negative impact on his constituents, the local economy, and essential revenues for school districts. He said the broad scope of RGGI is well beyond the authority of the Department of Environmental Protection to unilaterally implement without approval of the General Assembly.
None of the 11 states currently in RGGI (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia) joined the compact without legislative approval.
“Your disapproval of this regulation simply requires the department and the administration to truly come back to the table, truly engage and explain how the costs and benefits of this do bear out,” Senator Pittman said. “From where I sit as an elected member of the Pennsylvania Senate, I can assure you I do not see a way to benefit versus the enormous costs that the constituents I represent will bear. I encourage your disapproval.”
Contact: Jeremy Dias jdias@pasen.gov