The Republican comments came in response to proposals Gov. Shapiro unveiled at a union hall in Scranton-- a cap-and-invest PA Climate Emissions Reduction Initiative in legislation to reduce carbon pollution from power plants to protect and create nearly 15,000 energy jobs, lower utility bills for Pennsylvania households, and take real action to address carbon pollution.
A second legislative initiative to build out a more diverse, reliable, and affordable energy sector by updating the state's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards to require 35% of Pennsylvania’s electricity by 2035 from the clean energy sources of today and the future like solar, wind, small modular reactors, and fusion, 10% from sustainable sources like large hydropower and battery storage, and 5% from ultra-low emission forms of natural gas and other traditional fuels.
If passed by the legislature, the Governor’s initiatives would save Pennsylvania ratepayers $252 million in the first five years, while generating $5.1 billion in investment in clean, reliable energy sources.
“Doing nothing is not an option,” said Gov. Shapiro, and Robert Bair, a union leader at the announcement..
Five years ago when Gov. Wolf proposed to unilaterally join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative by executive order, Senate Republicans complained bitterly and repeatedly about how Wolf did not involve the Senate and House in the decision.
Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Committee, said then-- “For a step of this magnitude, which affects consumers, business, industry and public policy – the legislature, who represents the citizens of this state, must be involved in the dialogue on joining RGGI. It cannot be a unilateral decision.” Read more here.
Now, Gov. Shapiro has taken them up on their offer with a much different proposal actively worked on with union, environmental and other stakeholder involvement (although not complete agreement)..
But, the initial reaction of Senate Republicans is to reject his overture.
Republican Reactions
Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) reacted to the proposal by saying, "There is room in our Commonwealth for all types of energy. We should incorporate the different energy sectors but not on the backs of ratepayers which is what Shapiro’s proposal does.”
[Note: Gov. Shapiro’s proposal does incorporate a broad array of energy section and-- “If passed by the legislature, the Governor’s initiatives would save Pennsylvania ratepayers $252 million in the first five years, while generating $5.1 billion in investment in clean, reliable energy sources.” Read more here.]
Sen. Ward- “Our Commonwealth needs to be focused on unleashing our energy potential, not taxing it. Doing so would create thousands of good jobs and keep our power grid secure."
[Note: Right now Pennsylvania's electric grid is dependent on one fuel for 60% of our electricity and that fuel is vulnerable to winter storms outages and price spikes caused by international markets that set its price. Read the proposal.]
Sen. Ward- “Shapiro says if his proposal is passed, he will drop the lawsuit that is keeping RGGI alive and consumer electric bills high. We have already been on the other end of a deal with Shapiro during last year’s budget so the old saying fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me, applies.
“I am asking Gov. Shapiro to immediately drop the lawsuit that keeps RGGI in place, and then we can begin to have a real and inclusive conversation about the future of Pennsylvania’s energy sector.”
[Note:That’s up to you folks to work out, above my pay grade.]
Senate Republican Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana) said, "Comprehensive energy policy remains at the forefront of our legislative focus for the Commonwealth.
"The best way to swiftly advance meaningful discussions around energy policy is for Gov. Shapiro to remove the anvil of RGGI and drop his appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
"Detrimental job losses and increased electricity costs imposed directly on consumers necessitates immediately closing the chapter of RGGI.”
[Note: Senate Republicans have offered no proposals for helping communities impacted by the closure of coal-fired power plants due to competition from natural gas.]
Sen. Pittman- “It now appears the governor agrees with the Commonwealth Court’s ruling asserting a cap-and-trade program for electric generation is a tax on electricity and would require legislative approval.
[Note: Gov. Shapiro appealed the ruling to the PA Supreme Court. With his proposal he is reaching out to the General Assembly to work on these issues. “Doing nothing is not an option,” said both Gov. Shapiro and union leader Robert Bair. Read more here.]
Sen. Pittman- "The governor correctly points out it is time we stop losing to Ohio, however, any cap-and-trade program applying solely to electric generation in Pennsylvania and not our competitors, does not fit the bill.
“Families are feeling the strain of inflation and increased household expenses, which must be a chief concern when implementing any changes to energy policy. Pennsylvania needs to put electric generation, grid reliability and consumer affordability first, and our Senate Republican Majority will continue to focus on initiatives to promote investment and innovation here in Pennsylvania.”
[Note: Families are feeling the strain of price spikes for a fuel that heats 52% of Pennsylvania's homes and is the reason electricity prices soared in 2021 and 2022. Pennsylvania still has not recovered from those price spikes caused by our link to international markets via energy exports to other countries, including China. Read more here.]
Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, said "While touting Pennsylvania’s legacy as an energy leader that once fueled the industrial revolution, Gov. Shapiro appears to be adopting the same misguided policies of his predecessor by imposing a RGGI-like, job-killing carbon tax on electric generation and other mandates.
"The Governor left out the real crisis we are facing in the next 10 years – the generation of baseload electricity.”
[Note: Actually, Gov. Shapiro has taken a much different approach of reaching out to work with the General Assembly that Gov. Wolf did not do.
[Returning stability and reliability to Pennsylvania's electric grid is the centerpiece of his proposals to diversify and promote new and innovative forms of energy. Read his proposal here.]
Sen. Yaw-- “Our grid is currently stable; however, by 2028 increased demand and lack of reliable thermal replacement generation will promote the collapse of the already strained electric grid.
[Note: Pennsylvania's grid is overly dependent on one fuel for 59% of our electric generation and that fuel is prone to significant winter supply interruptions and price spikes all year round caused by the international markets that now determine its price. Read more here.
[It does not meet Sen. Yaw’s own test of having baseload generation diversity-- one third, one third, one third-- that he outlined in 2023. Read more here.]
Sen. Yaw-- "To illustrate this point, over the next few years, we are expected to lose 40,000 MWs of reliable, baseload power from the PJM grid, of which about 10,000 MWs comes from Pennsylvania. The bulk of the loss is due to policy reforms, such as those recommended by the governor.
"Any statewide carbon tax or “AEPS revamp” proposal sends a terrible message to potential investors considering Pennsylvania for investments in reliable, baseload generation, and instead exacerbates the potentially catastrophic crisis heading our way.]
[Note: On January 22, at a hearing held by Sen. Yaw in Ohio, the PJM Interconnection reported 40 Gigawatts (Gigawatts) of new, investor-driven electric generating capacity had cleared its review process in 2023, almost all of it renewable energy + storage. Read more here.
[PJM expects to clear another 26 GW of capacity in 2024 and 46 GW of new generation in 2025. Read more here.
[PJM said the new generation capacity includes almost all investor-driven renewable energy and storage-- 50.8% solar, 14.1% solar+storage, 12.7% storage and 6.1% wind.
[Of the 72 GW of new generation in the queue, there are 108 projects in Pennsylvania with a capacity of just over 5 GW, according to PJM. Read more here.
[That’s a lot of power if we can get it in the ground quickly.]
Sen. Yaw-- "Construction of a gas-fired combined-cycle electric generation facility takes three to five years.”
[Note: Becoming more dependent on one fuel to generate electricity we already rely on for 59% of our power isn’t a way to return stability and reliability to our electric grid. Just doesn’t make sense or meet Sen. Yaw’s own criteria for stable baseload generation diversity. Read more here.]
Sen. Yaw- “Construction of a nuclear electric generation facility takes 15 to 20 years. In order to meet the projected demand in the 2028 timeframe, we should have 10 combined cycle [gas] generation facilities under construction right now.
"We don’t, and we are running out of time. Unfortunately, the governor said nothing to address this issue."
[Note: Actually, returning stability and reliability for Pennsylvania's electric grid is the centerpiece of Gov. Shapiro’s proposals to diversify and promote new and innovative forms of energy. Read his proposal here.
[We have already seen, and PJM and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has documented, the vulnerabilities gas infrastructure has to extreme weather and to price spikes in international markets that drive up the cost of gas and electricity here. Read more here.]
Sen. Yaw- “Furthermore, while most states are cutting CO2 simply by slashing generation and importing energy from other states, including from Pennsylvania, we increased electric generation and reduced overall CO2 emissions from 2018-23.
"In fact, Pennsylvania has reduced its carbon emissions from power generation by nearly 44% since 2005 – far surpassing any other power producing state in the nation, all while being a leading net exporter of electricity. That should be praised.
[Note: That's the past record, we need to talk about the future and where we go from here.
[You might consider a ban on LNG gas exports to China and other economic and military competitor nations, even though the CEO of Pittsburgh-based EQT is all gung-ho about using gas to help China just like gas reduced climate emissions in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
[He has a nifty PPT slide on that.
[A Chinese company this week asked to intervene in a Louisiana LNG export facility permit case. That should give folks pause. Read more here.
[Check out Toby’s “unleash LNG” powerpoint. Read more here.]
Sen. Yaw- "However, we are now at a tipping point. Since 2023, we have seen premature closures of thermal generation and lack of replacements.
"We should not be apologizing for our energy generation and continuing to entertain misguided, misinformed, and reckless policies that don’t look at the big picture.
[Note: No one is apologizing. Gov. Shapiro took credit for the hard work by union members and others that got us to this point. Read more here. ]
Sen. Yaw-- "In less than a decade, demand will exceed our generation capacity. We need to address the shortfall, not ignore it.”
[Note: So what have you been waiting for the last five years, the last 10 years? Repeating the same tired rhetoric like this over and over will not solve the problem, only action will.
[As Gov. Shapiro and a union representative at the press event said, "No action is not an option."]
[Note: You may also recall that Sen. Yaw called legislation addressing public health and environmental concerns with shale gas infrastructure “stupid.” Read more here.
[Shortly thereafter Sen. Yaw received the 2023 Shale Gas Advocate Award from the Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition. Read more here.]
Related Articles - Energy/Climate Plan:
-- Gov. Shapiro Joins Industry, Labor, Environmental, Consumer Leaders To Highlight New Energy Plan To Create Jobs, Lower Costs For Pennsylvanians [PaEN]
-- Gov. Shapiro: PA Labor & Industry Leaders Praise Energy/Climate Plan
-- Gov. Shapiro: PA Environmental Leaders Praise Energy/Climate Plan
-- Gov. Shapiro On Republican Reaction To His Energy Plan: They’ve Done Nothing And Power ‘Plants Have Closed On Their Watch;’ They’re ‘Used To Doing Nothing;’ ‘Doing Nothing Is Not Acceptable’ [PaEN]
-- Senate Republicans Reject Gov. Shapiro’s Offer To Work On Legislation To Make The Electric Grid More Reliable, Diversify Our Energy Sources, Lower Energy Costs For Ratepayers, Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Proposed Changes To General Air Quality Permit Authorizing Coal Mine Methane Flares [PaEN]
-- Pennsylvania’s Electric Grid Is Dependent On One Fuel To Generate 59% Of Our Electricity; Market Moving To Renewables + Storage [PaEN]
-- US EIA Report Shows How Winter Storms Have Reduced US Natural Gas Production, But Disruptions Can Happen Any Time Of The Year [PaEN]
NewsClips - Energy/Climate Plan:
-- AP: PA Gov. Shapiro Backs New Plan To Make Power Plants Pay For Greenhouse Gases
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Gov. Shapiro Calls For PA Carbon Cap-And-Trade Market, Plus Higher Clean Energy Requirements
-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: Gov. Shapiro Proposes State Climate Program To Replace RGGI, Asks For New Renewable Energy Goals
-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: PA Governor Wants To Cut Power Plant Emissions With His Own Cap-And-Invest Program
-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Shapiro Tees Up Independent Carbon Tax Plan For Pennsylvania
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Shapiro Unveils Alternative To RGGI That Would Keep Proceeds And Cap In State
-- PennLive: Shapiro Pitches Sweeping Two-Piece Energy, Climate Change Plan
-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Pitches Carbon Cap-And-Invest Plant To Capitalize On PA’s Energy Exports
-- The Center Square: Building Trades Say Governor’s Carbon Tax Plan ‘Sets The Thanksgiving Table, Now It’s Time To Sit Down And Eat’
-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Governor’s Carbon Tax Plan Called A ‘Disastrous’ Gift To Ohio, West Virginia By Republicans, Others
-- PennLive Guest Essay: There’s No Excuse For Inaction On Climate Change In Pennsylvania - By Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester), Minority Chair Of Senate Environmental Committee
-- PA Interfaith Power & Light: National Faith + Climate Online Forum Set For April 16; In-Person Watch Party
-- Penn State Earth Talks: March 18 In-Person/Webinar On City Heat Adaptation Tool For Cities To Improve Public Health, 4:00 p.m.
-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Report: Billions In PA Taxpayer Subsidies Go To Polluting Shell Petrochemical Plant Without Regard To Environmental Compliance
[Posted: March 14, 2024] PA Environment Digest
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