Statement from EDF Action Managing Director Amanda Leland
HARRISBURG, Pa. — As part of a deal to end Pennsylvania’s budget stalemate, Governor Josh Shapiro has abandoned the Commonwealth’s plan to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which could have quickly lowered electric bills for Pennsylvanians.
“Governor Shapiro and legislative leaders have needlessly sacrificed Pennsylvania’s most promising tool for lowering household electricity bills and reducing pollution.” said Amanda Leland, Managing Director at EDF Action. “Pennsylvanians are calling for cleaner air, lower energy bills and a responsible state budget — not for their Governor to lock the state into dirty, expensive energy sources of the past.
“This is not a day for a victory lap. Today’s action is a huge loss for Pennsylvania families who could have seen RGGI revenue provide relief as electric prices skyrocket across the country. This move is also out of line with last week’s elections, which demonstrated that voters want leaders who will fight for lower electricity prices, cleaner air, and healthier communities and recognize that tools like RGGI specifically, already working in New Jersey and poised to return to Virginia, are the solution.
“Governor Shapiro must swiftly direct the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to draft new standards that reduce climate pollution and deliver cleaner air, healthier communities, and lower bills for Pennsylvanians at the same scale as promised by RGGI. But make no mistake, his actions today all but guarantee that these benefits are much further away at the precise moment when strong leadership, delivering real relief, is urgently needed.”
Since its launch in 2009, RGGI has proven itself in 10 other states as a model that works — reducing power plant pollution by half and lowering energy costs through investments in energy bill assistance programs, energy efficiency and clean energy that are projected to save families and businesses an estimated $20 billion.
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