Keystone Today

Pennsylvania state lawmakers and industry leaders have reacted to the state’s decision to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

Sen. Bob Mensch (R-Marlborough Township) responded to Gov. Tom Wolfe's (D) decision to join RGGI.

"You need the Legislature to participate with the governor in this," Mensch said, according to Patch. "We're talking about people's jobs, people's money, people's livelihoods."

Sen. Bob Mensch | Wikimedia Commons

RGGI's mission is to bring a "collaborative, market-based effort... to cap and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions from the power sector," Patch said.

The Pennsylvania Independent Regulatory Review Commission approved the state's entry into RGGI on Sept. 1.

"Climate change is one of the most critical issues we face, and I have made it a priority to address ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By participating in RGGI, Pennsylvania is taking a historic, proactive and progressive approach that will have significant positive environmental, public health and economic impacts," Wolfe told Patch.

While the state’s unemployment rate continues to fall, it is still higher than the unemployment rate of most other states and the national average, according to the Official Pennsylvania Government Website.

Pennsylvania's electricity prices are usually about 7% below the national average, according to Pittsburgh Works Together.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection estimates that being a part of RGGI will raise electricity prices in the state and cut back electricity sales to other states, which is a major industry in Pennsylvania. Administration officials said Pennsylvania's carbon-dioxide emissions would be reduced by 31% compared to 2019 levels, according to City & State Pennsylvania.