The six-year battle over Pennsylvania’s attempt to curb climate pollution has ended with a few lines of legislation in the latest state budget.
Gov. Josh Shapiro and Democrats agreed to repeal the regulation that allows Pennsylvania to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in order to pass the overdue state budget.
Republican lawmakers have long been opposed to RGGI. They repeatedly voted on bills to overturn the program and took the issue to court.
Nothing will practically change in Pennsylvania as a result of the repeal, but RGGI supporters and observers said the state is giving up the potential for significant climate action.
“The state has just lost the most immediate lever it could pull, and which would've done so in a significant, unprecedented way in Pennsylvania history to cut climate pollution, create jobs, and lower people's electricity bills,” said Robert Routh, Pennsylvania policy lead for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
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