PA Promises to Keep the Lights on for Its Neighbors Post-RGGI

Last week, the Pennsylvania legislature drove the final nail in the coffin of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax in the state (see VICTORY! PA Budget Deal Kills RGGI Carbon Tax for Good). Dumping RGGI frees up a growing list of gas-fired power plants to begin construction in the Keystone State. In a post-mortem analysis of the attempt to force RGGI on the state, the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) says that RGGI is primarily a tax revenue generator that serves as a barrier to investment and an unconstitutional regulatory tax. MSC cites a state study that projected a net reduction of only 0.169% in carbon emissions over eight years. Furthermore, the MSC highlights that RGGI would have cost Pennsylvania ratepayers approximately $1.558 billion a year. It was nothing more than a money grab to pad the pockets of Big Green donors.

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