A Balanced, Sustainable Energy Future Requires Pro-Growth Approaches to Energy
In the fall of 2019, Gov. Tom Wolf directed the PA Department of Environmental Protection to develop a regulation to enter Pennsylvania into a regional cap-and-trade program for power plants, known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. For its part, the PA Chamber has advocated that policy continue to ensure Pennsylvania remains the most significant power producer on the grid, the top state for electricity exports, and a welcome place for industry and manufacturing to grow. With the final regulation falling short of the PA Chamber’s recommendations, including maintaining an inclusive approach to sustainability, the PA Chamber remains active and engaged in the debate happening under the dome this year.
Defeating Regressive Energy Taxes
Over the past decade, Pennsylvania’s leadership in natural gas production has resulted in lower gas and utility energy bills for families and
businesses, along with significant improvements in air quality and dramatic reductions in CO2 emissions. For the past eight years, the PA Chamber has successfully spearheaded the Stop New Energy Taxes Coalition in opposition to misguided plans to impose regressive energy taxes on the state’s economy. For the first time since taking office, Gov. Tom Wolf chose not to include an additional tax on the natural gas industry as part of the 2022-23 budget proposal, a marked change.