The state Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee on Tuesday approved a bill introduced by Sen. Joe Pittman, R-41st, that would require legislative approval of Gov. Tom Wolf's proposal for the state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

Senate Bill 119, which would create the Pennsylvania Carbon Dioxide Cap and Trade Authorization Act, prohibits the Department of Environmental Protection from joining RGGI without legislative approval.

“A carbon tax is a major energy and fiscal policy initiative, and if such a tax is to be imposed on Pennsylvania employers, we believe it should be approved by the General Assembly,” said Pittman, committee vice chairman. “Beyond the fiscal impact on Pennsylvania manufacturers, coal and gas electric generation, consumers and future economic investments made in our state, it also creates serious constitutional questions of checks and balances between coequal branches of government.”

In October 2019, Wolf directed the DEP to join RGGI, a collaboration of 11 Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, which set a cap on carbon dioxide emissions from electric power generators in their states.

To comply, power plants must purchase a credit or “allowance” for each ton of carbon dioxide they emit. Three DEP advisory boards have rejected the proposal, Pittman said.