Opinion piece by State Rep. Bryan Cutler (100th District). The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court rightly recently rejected an effort by prior Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration to unlawfully impose an energy tax on Pennsylvanians by entering the state into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, also known as RGGI.

A Pennsylvania court ruled Wednesday that former Gov. Tom Wolf (D) unlawfully joined an interstate carbon emissions payment program without legislative approval. In an opinion written by Judge Michael Wojcik, a five-judge panel of Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court found that membership in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) constitutes an illegal tax. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit included a coalition of energy companies and unions representing fossil fuel workers.

Republican lawmakers welcome the state’s future hydrogen hubs as the next step in energy production that balances environmental conservation with economic growth. The Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub (MACH2) based in Philadelphia and the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub (ARC2) based in West Virginia will bring $1.7 billion in federal largesse to the commonwealth and “billions more in commitments from the private-sector companies,” Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Washington, said during a press conference Tuesday.

President Joe Biden on Friday announced the locations of seven regional hubs to manufacture hydrogen. Biden made the announcement alongside Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at the Tioga Marine Terminal in the Port of Philadelphia – which will eventually use hydrogen produced from renewable energy and nuclear power at a new Mid-Atlantic hydrogen hub comprising parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

President Joe Biden’s administration will travel to Pennsylvania Friday to announce federal funding for two hydrogen hub projects in the state — including one based in West Virginia that would include development in Western Pennsylvania — as part of $7 billion in federal grants from the Department of Energy, according to a report by Reuters. 

The Biden administration released its four-year plan for offshore energy production on Friday, angering environmentalists and conservatives alike. While the plan includes three new leases for oil drilling on federal land, it also significantly boosts the construction of offshore wind turbines, setting aside 11 new areas for leasing.

The United States is a world leader in clean energy technology, jobs and in reducing carbon emissions. Natural gas is key to making this leadership possible. Natural gas is an affordable and reliable part of our nation’s energy supply, used by more than 180 million Americans and over 5.5 million businesses, both large and small. It accounts for nearly one-third of our country’s energy supply and, importantly, the United States has abundant reserves of natural gas both on- and offshore, strengthening our energy security—a stark contrast to countries that have turned their backs on natural gas, leaving them vulnerable to global chaos and volatile prices.

Mountain Valley Pipeline is suing more than 40 people and two organizations that it says are unlawfully interfering with its efforts to complete a natural gas pipeline amid growing unrest.

FERC Commission Chairman Phillips delivered a blow to environmentalists by stating that natural gas is here to stay, rightly highlighting its role in the energy transition to both meet global demand while progressing toward shared climate goals.

The Shapiro Administration will adopt an updated Environmental Justice (EJ) Policy, which expands environmental safeguards throughout the Commonwealth, a milestone in updating a 20-year-old policy the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has used to guide protections for communities most vulnerable to environmental challenges. Environmental justice areas make up 20 percent of the entire Commonwealth.