Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday followed through on his promise to veto a house bill calling for legislative input in joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

“This legislation is extremely harmful to public health and welfare,” Wolf said. “Allowing this legislation to become law would effectively deny that climate change is an urgent problem that demands prudent solutions.”

House Bill 2025 would have established a process for the Legislature to vet and help decide on Pennsylvania joining the initiative.

Currently, 10 states make up the initiative, which promises to cap and reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the power sector.

State Sen. Joe Pittman, R-41st, slammed the veto in a news release on Thursday. Pittman was the prime sponsor of the companion bill, Senate Bill 950. The bill received bipartisan support as it passed both the House and the Senate.

“With his veto of the House Bill 2025, Gov. Wolf has signed the economic death warrant of the communities I represent,” Pittman said in the release.

Pittman has vocally disapproved joining the initiative, and he has opposed the ability of the governor to join the initiative without the legislative branch's involvement.

Under the initiative, Pennsylvania energy companies would be capped at a specified amount of emissions and would be fined for specified amounts over that limit.

“We will continue to explore all avenues, legislative and legal, to prevent the governor from unilaterally increasing the bills of electricity consumers by $300 million while exporting thousands of good paying family-sustaining jobs to other states,” Pittman said.

On Oct. 3, Wolf directed the Department of Environmental Protection to join RGGI.

In his explanation, Wolf said the state has seen adverse impacts of climate change, such as high temperatures, fluctuations in precipitation levels and frequent extreme weather events.

“The citizens of this commonwealth cannot afford to wait any longer,” Wolf said. “Given the urgency of the climate crisis facing Pennsylvania, the commonwealth must take concrete, economically sound and immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”