Aug 27, 2021 2 min read

A local alliance of business, organized labor and civic leaders is adamantly opposed to Pennsylvania joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Pittsburgh Works Together said in a statement this week that “joining RGGI will not decrease carbon emissions in any meaningful way, market trends alone will account for the vast majority of anticipated health benefits, and the higher power prices resulting from RGGI will undercut economic opportunities in Pennsylvania.”

The organization also sent that statement to the state Independent Regulatory Review Commission, recommending that the agency reject it. IRRC plans to discuss the initiative at its meeting on Tuesday and may vote on it.

RGGI aims to cut carbon emissions by creating a cap-and-trade program for the electricity generation sector. It is a polarizing issue in Pennsylvania, however – touted by environmental activists and favored by Gov. Tom Wolf that it will provide cleaner energy, but opposed by unions and many elected officials concerned about potential job losses and a weakening of industry.

Wolf spearheaded Pennsylvania’s push to join RGGI in October 2019. Eleven states have joined RGGI – Virginia, plus 10 of the 11 located in the Northeastern United States. Pennsylvania is the exception.

Pittsburgh Works Together was launched in March 2020, shortly before the pandemic arrived in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It is chaired by Morgan O’Brien and Tom Melcher and includes a number of building trades organizations and unions, and several area chambers of commerce, including the Washington County chamber. Washington chamber president Jeff Kotula is on the board of directors.

Southpointe-based CNX Resources Corp. and Range Resources Corp. are Pittsburgh Works Together members as well.