Pennsylvania Takes Key Step Towards Major Climate Action

HARRISBURG, PA -- Pennsylvania took another key step in joining a multistate climate initiative to slash carbon emissions. The Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) voted today to approve a proposed CO2 Budget Trading Program regulation that will limit carbon dioxide emissions from Pennsylvania’s power sector and allow the state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The Office of Attorney General has thirty days to review the legality of the IRRC’s regulations and Pennsylvania's General Assembly could adopt a resolution to oppose the regulations.

Following is reaction from Mark Szybist, Senior Attorney for the Climate and Clean Energy Program at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

“As climate change impacts grow ever more visible through extreme weather events, the IRRC vote today represents the most important climate action that Pennsylvania has taken in more than a decade. Now, the Department of Environmental Protection has the space it needs to move forward with plans to implement cap-and-trade rules in-step with eleven other states.

“However, Pennsylvania’s inclusion in RGGI is not in the clear and could face hurdles from bad apples in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvanians don’t want their legislators to tie RGGI up with red tape, but instead demand an equitable clean energy economy that will bring shared prosperity.”

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.