Robert B. McKinstry, Jr., the Clean Air Council, Widener University Environmental Law and Sustainability Center and eco(n)law LLC were the primary petitioners who originally submitted the petition to the EQB last November.
The petitioners now include 33 religious and faith-based or affiliated organizations, 11 education institutions and organizations, 22 environmental and health advocacy groups, 8 municipalities or municipal organizations, 7 community organizations, 26 businesses and business and investment organizations, and 97 individuals.
Among those added by the submission were the PA Council of Churches, the Chair of the Ferguson Township supervisors in Centre County, the American Friends Service Committee, Swarthmore College Office of Sustainability, University of Pennsylvania Environmental Law Project, Climate Reality: Pittsburgh and Southwest PA and others.
The submission also provides 7 pages references to additional studies and other information supporting the petition, including Gov. Wolf’s Executive Order establishing a statewide goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
DEP notified the petitioners on December 26 the petition was complete and would be considered by the EQB at the next Board meeting, which is now likely to be April 16. DEP notified EQB members of its completeness determination on February 15.
The petitioners also responded to concerns Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), Majority Chair of the House Environmental and Energy Committee, expressed last week about adequate notice to Board members on DEP’s completeness determination.
Rep. Metcalfe urged Board Chair DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell to have the petitioner resubmit the petition so the notice could be done properly, in his view.
While disagreeing with Rep. Metcalfe’s position on notice to Board members, the petitioners said in their cover email to Secretary McDonnell-- “...if the Department or the Board believes that position has merit, please consider this Supplemental Submission to be such a resubmission, as long as this does not prejudice the petitioners by delaying the Board’s consideration of our Petition.”
The 407-page rulemaking petition asks the Environment Quality Board to establish a market-based cap-and-trade greenhouse gas emission reduction program that eliminates those emissions from major sources by 2052 in Pennsylvania.
The petitioners said these reductions would put Pennsylvania on track to meet the greenhouse gas reduction goals established by the 2015, achieving the reductions that the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change indicates are necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate disruption.
Click Here for a copy of the supplemental information submitted by the petitioners. Click Here for the rulemaking petition.
Anyone can submit a rulemaking petition to the Environmental Quality Board. For more on the petition process, visit the EQB’s Rulemaking Petitions webpage.
Anyone can submit a rulemaking petition to the Environmental Quality Board. For more on the petition process, visit the EQB’s Rulemaking Petitions webpage.
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