The Homer City Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant in Indiana County, is one the plants locals are concerned could shutter under RGGI, a proposed cap-and-trade program to limit carbon emissions. (Capital-Star photo by Stephen Caruso)
By Stephen Caruso, Pennsylvania Capital-Star
Electricity generators will have to pay for the carbon they release into the atmosphere after the state’s regulatory review board approved Pennsylvania’s entrance into an interstate initiative to address climate change.
The compact, known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, will apply to 58 power plants across Pennsylvania, mostly coal and gas burning, that accounted for 75 million metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere in 2017, according to the most recent state data. That’s roughly a third of the state’s total annual carbon emissions.
It was approved in a 3-2 vote by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission on Wednesday, which has a final say on all state regulations, after hearing nearly six hours of testimony.
Before the policy is enacted, the Republican-controlled state Legislature could still attempt to overrule Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf on the measure. And legal challenges appear likely.
RGGI opponent, State Rep. Pam Snyder testified before the Independent Regulatory Review Commission on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Snyder says RGGI will close down the coal plants in Greene County and leave hundreds without jobs.
“I don’t think anyone would be willing to bet that there won’t be court actions on either side, depending on what the final result is,” the panel’s chairperson, George Bedwick, said.
However, environmental groups still cheered the approval, saying that it would be the most important action the state has taken to date to tackle climate change.
“We hope that polluters and their political allies stop attempting to put up roadblocks to participating in this program and get on the bandwagon in support of strong policies that will reduce our carbon footprint to solve the climate crisis,” PennEnvironment Executive Director David Masur said in a statement.
Related energy/environment news:
Pa.’s RGGI rule, which would put a price on carbon dioxide, nears finish line after oversight board vote
The rule will require plant owners to purchase a credit for each ton of carbon they release each year. At the most recent auction, they averaged almost $8 per ton of carbon.
Those credits are purchased at auction every year, and fewer credits are offered each time, gradually lowering the amount of carbon that can be legally released.
Revenue from the auction is then split among the states, which can spend it on environmental and energy initiatives.
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