In a press conference last Wednesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced two new energy proposals his administration hopes to pass through the state legislature. The first is a state-specific cap-and-invest program known as the Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Act (PACER), which the governor framed as an alternative to Pennsylvania’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
The other proposal, called the Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS), would require that 50 percent of the state’s electricity come from diverse sources by 2035, including 35 percent from clean energy such as solar and wind, 10 percent from sustainable sources like hydropower and battery storage, and five percent from low-emission natural gas and other fuels.
In response, PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein released the following statement:
“We all share the goals of protecting our environment and growing our economy – and, one does not have to come at the expense of the other. Pennsylvania is a global leader in energy production and reducing emissions, and policies going forward should build on this progress. We await details on the governor’s proposals, which raise significant questions and concerns about the impacts on our residents, businesses, the environment, and our economy. We encourage the governor to work in a collaborative way with additional stakeholders and the legislature to address important questions pertaining to the short- and long-term impacts of these policies and develop the best plan for Pennsylvania.”
You can read more about the governor’s proposal (and the initial response from Pennsylvania’s business community) in the Central Penn Business Journal and the Pennsylvania Business Report.