HARRISBURG – Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-46) today praised the passage of legislation preventing a new electricity tax by repealing Pennsylvania’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Impartial analysis from the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) concluded RGGI could nearly quadruple new electricity costs for consumers. RGGI will also cut energy and manufacturing jobs and lead to the closure of Pennsylvania power plants.
Senate Bill 186 formally repeals Pennsylvania’s participation in RGGI, ensuring that any decision to impose electricity taxes or emissions programs must go through the legislative process rather than being enacted unilaterally by the executive branch. Every other participating state entered into RGGI following this process.
“Today’s vote advances critical legislation to shield Pennsylvanians from being strong-armed into an unlawful electricity tax that will affect families across the state. After Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget address yesterday, it’s clear he isn’t concerned about the state’s taxpayers and the financial challenges they already face,” Bartolotta said. “However, my colleagues and I will continue to defend them and their wallets.”
Despite bipartisan opposition from the General Assembly, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Quality Board pressed ahead with regulations to establish a CO₂ Budget Trading Program – effectively imposing a tax on electricity generation.
In 2023, the Commonwealth Court ruled that RGGI is a tax and cannot be implemented without legislative approval. However, Shapiro’s decision to continue to appeal this ruling to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has prolonged uncertainty for workers and businesses across the commonwealth and deepened concerns about energy grid reliability and affordability.
The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.
CONTACT: Katrina Hanna, 717-787-1463