State Senator and Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman said that a package of bills pertaining to energy production are on hold until a final verdict is announced concerning the state’s involvement in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is preparing a ruling on the program after hearing arguments last month. The main focus of the issue is how former Governor Tom Wolf forced Pennsylvania to join the multi-state compact through executive order rather than putting the issue before the state House and Senate. The group will force fossil fuel-fired power plants with capacities greater than 25 megawatts to purchase allowances for each ton of carbon dioxide they emit in a year. While supporters say it will help the state environmentally, opponents said that electricity rates would increase, and energy and manufacturing jobs would be cut and some plants would be forced to close.
In a recent interview, Pittman said that the Senate is limited in its ability to pass any energy-related legislation as the decision on RGGI will have impacts up and down the lines. This includes the state Economic Development for a Growing Economy, also known as PA EDGE, which is a collection of tax credit programs designed to attract new investments from businesses in critical manufacturing areas. Pittman said that if RGGI goes through, the tax credit program will not be effective.
