For the third straight day, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative was the center of attention for our area lawmakers, with Senator Joe Pittman and Representative Jim Struzzi among the speakers at a “Power PA Jobs Alliance” rally at the Cheswick Generating Station in Allegheny County.
Limiting attendance to 50 people due to the pandemic, the event’s organizers nevertheless pressed their point that if the state joins the multi-state RGGI compact, Pennsylvania’s economy would suffer and thousands of jobs would disappear.
Senator Pittman said Governor Tom Wolf’s effort to join RGGI would be disastrous.
Pittman said RGGI would be a benefit for neighboring states while killing Pennsylvania’s energy industry.
Pittman said the legislature must be involved in the RGGI decision and Governor Wolf should recognize that a bill demanding legislative oversight is good policy.
The rally yesterday came after both the House and Senate Environmental Resources & Energy committees held hearings on the potential effects of RGGI.
Wolf has ignored pleas to speak to the people whose jobs would disappear because of RGGI. His spokesperson, Lyndsay Kensinger, released a statement yesterday claiming Wolf “is open to working with legislators to address concerns as it relates to fairness for impacted workers and communities, including those where these power plants are located, and address climate change.”
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