PIOGA applauds IRCC’s recommendation: Joining RGGI is not in Pennsylvania’s best interests

Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association (PIOGA) president & executive director Daniel J. Weaver on February 17 issued the following statement in response to the state Independent Regulatory Review Commission’s recommendation to halt any further action on Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative:

“The Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association applauds today’s recommendation by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission to delay any further action on Gov. Wolf’s unilateral decision to force Pennsylvania into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.  Simply put, joining RGGI is not in the Commonwealth’s best interest, a fact that the members of IRRC recognized in today’s decision.

“Economically, this program would result in the loss of thousands of good-paying jobs at fossil fuel electric generating facilities around the state by taxing those facilities and tipping the scale in favor of more expensive renewable sources. Environmentally, it would have little impact on the quality of Pennsylvania’s air, as the electricity we demand would be generated in states to the west that will never join RGGI and whose emissions will drift to the east into our state. Pragmatically, it is a fact that Pennsylvania has already reduced CO2 emissions from fossil fuel generation by almost 40 percent in the last dozen years. And, legally, the governor’s efforts to join RGGI without authorization from the General Assembly, which has been raised by dozens of organizations, business groups and individual companies, is unlawful.

“The members of the IRRC recognized these factors in making the recommendation that the Wolf administration delay a final decision before addressing these crucial concerns about this ill-advised program.  They should be commended for taking action.”

• Click HERE to review the IRRC comments.
• Find out what PIOGA said in its formal comments on the proposed RGGI regulations.

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