The 14 industries include those that emit 25,000 tons or more of greenhouse gases a year-- cement, iron, lead, petroleum products production, coal mining, electric generating facilities, oil and gas production facilities, suppliers of natural gas and carbon dioxide, and fuel oil and petroleum product distributors.
The proposal-- called the Stability and Affordability Via Emissions Reduction (SAVER) Regulation-- would reduce Pennsylvania’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2052.
The Environmental Quality Board-- the 20 member board that adopts DEP’s regulations-- accepted the petition for study in April 2019, but took no further action, and DEP made no recommendation to the Board on the petition.
Instead, Gov. Wolf issued an executive order in October 2019 directing DEP to draft a regulation to reduce carbon pollution from just power plants consistent with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
The Environmental Quality Board proposed the regulation for comment in November 2020 and published it as final in April 2022 after a two-and-a-half year development process.
The regulation, which was never implemented, was immediately challenged in court.
In April 2023, just months after taking office, Gov. Shapiro formed a RGGI Working Group to consider options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that reported a consensus recommendation in September 2023 generally supporting a form of cap-and-invest carbon pollution reduction program covering energy generation.
In March 2024, Gov. Shapiro unveiled a cap-and-invest plan in legislation to reduce carbon pollution from power plants known as PACER (Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Act) based on the work group recommendations. Read more here.
The proposal became part of an expanded “Lightning” Energy Plan proposed by Gov. Shapiro in January 2025 [Read more here] that is now before the General Assembly and included in the Governor’s FY 2026-27 budget proposal [Read more here].
In November 2023 Commonwealth Court ruled the RGGI regulation was an “invalid tax” and enjoined DEP and the EQB from enforcing its provisions.
In December 2023, the Commonwealth Court decision was appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court which never ruled on the case because an agreement included in the FY 2025-26 state budget abrogated the regulation and the Shapiro Administration asked the Court to approve withdrawal of the appeal.
Demand For Action
In a letter to members of the Environmental Quality Board, the groups said the Board and DEP "have a non-discretionary obligation to develop and implement regulations reducing greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions consistent with the Petition and its proposed regulation" "to satisfy its duty as trustee of Pennsylvania’s public natural resources under the Environmental Rights Amendment to Pennsylvania’s Constitution."
"The Board’s acceptance of the Petition triggered a mandatory obligation for DEP to produce a report concerning the Petition together with recommendations for further steps including development of a proposed regulation within 60 days.
"Although DEP requested an extension, it never produced that report."
"With the abrogation of the RGGI Regulation, there’s no excuse for further inaction. We are now back to square one.
"Worse, we have lost seven years—time that could have been spent more fully developing a lower-cost and more reliable clean energy economy. This is unacceptable.
"The accompanying Demand for Action is a restatement of the request we made seven years ago but with more supporting information and greater urgency.
"The SAVER Regulation will expand use of clean, affordable energy, improve transportation and lower its costs, improve human health, revitalize manufacturing and create family sustaining jobs.
"While somewhat similar to the RGGI Regulation, the SAVER Regulation applies on an economy-wide basis and will reduce emissions more rapidly and cost-effectively by focusing on the transportation sector, industry, and the built environment as well as electric generation and distribution.
"The SAVER Regulation’s benefits will reach every Pennsylvanian, increasing affordability, improving health and safety, and raising overall standards of living, all while boosting the state’s gross domestic product.
"Pennsylvania already suffers the consequences of climate disruption caused by GHG pollution.
“Pennsylvanians already face increased energy, health, insurance and other prices caused by climate disruption and pollution associated with burning fossil fuels.
“The Center for Climate Integrity puts the cost of Pennsylvania’s damages from climate disruption at more than $1 billion annually and rising.
“Most of these costs are borne by local and state governments, water departments, electrical utilities and their taxpayers and ratepayers. The costs are a significant driver to today’s affordability crisis.
“The cost of doing nothing will only increase unless and until Pennsylvania takes meaningful action to address the problem.
“The Commonwealth has a clear duty to do so under the Environmental Rights Amendment. Inaction is neither legally permissible nor prudent.”
Click Here for the cover letter to EQB signed by the groups.
Click Here for a fact sheet on the proposal.
Click Here for a copy of the 495-page Demand for Action.
Related Articles This Week:
-- Gov. Shapiro’s Proposed Budget Includes Performance Standards For Data Centers Seeking State Tax Credits; Renewed Call For Lightening Energy Plan; New PUC Benchmarks For Utility Profits [PaEN]
-- Reactions To Gov. Shapiro's Proposed Budget From Citizen, Environmental, Energy, Industry, Utility Groups [PaEN]
-- House Committee OKs Bill To Give PUC More Authority To Regulate A.I. Data Centers, Other Large Loads To Protect Ratepayers, Electric Grid [PaEN]
-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports PA Electricity Prices Increased 46.1% From 2018 to 2025, More Than Other PJM States, Largely Due To Pennsylvania's Reliance On Natural Gas-Fired Electric Generation [PaEN]
-- Guest Essay: A.I. Data Centers Pose Big Challenge For PA's Energy Future - Dramatically Increasing Costs For Energy Consumers, And It's Not Getting Any Cheaper - By Tom Gilbert, Pennsylvania Environmental Council [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection Issues Cold Weather Alert For Feb. 7 to 9 Across Its Entire Footprint [PaEN]
-- Washington County Residents On Water Wells Not Aware A MarkWest Pipeline Drilling Project Lost 1.2 Million Gallons Of Drilling Fluid In Mount Pleasant & Robinson Townships [PaEN]
-- Environmental Hearing Board Denies CNX Gas Company Motion To Throw Out Ullom Family Appeal Over Water Loss In Washington County; Scope Of Rebuttable Presumption Under Review [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Scranton Times: Local Officials React To Shapiro’s Budget Address [Data Centers] [PDF of Article]
-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Gov. Shapiro Wants More A.I. Data Centers, But They Need To Bring Their Own Power
-- PA Capital-Star: PA’s Approach To Joining The A.I. Race Must Put People First, Shapiro Said In Budget Address
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Gov. Shapiro Proposes New Standards Requiring Data Centers To Bring Their Own Power [PDF of Article]
-- PennLive: Gov. Shapiro Lays Out 4 Principles To Steer How Big Tech Builds A.I. Data Centers In PA
-- Inquirer: Gov. Shapiro Says He’ll Prevent A.I. Data Center Developers From ‘Saddling’ Pennsylvanians With Higher Energy Costs
-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: What Does PJM Have To Do With A.I. Data Centers And Why Is Gov. Shapiro Always So Made At It?
-- PPL Utilities Statement On Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Address And Energy Affordability
-- E&ENews/Politico: A.I Champion Josh Shapiro Leans On Tech Industry To Bear Energy Costs Of A.I. Data Centers
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Gov. Shapiro Proposes $1 Billion Infrastructure Fund To Address PA’s Housing And Energy Needs [PDF of Article]
-- PA Capital-Star: Should A.I. Data Centers Pay Up Front Or Build Their Own Power Plants? PJM, State Governors Have Different Ideas On How To Fix Your Electricity Bill
-- Scranton Times Chris Kelly Opinion: A.I. Data Center Race A Marathon, Not A Sprint [PDF of Article]
-- The Citizens Voice: Rural Landowners In Luzerne County Offered $175,000/Acre For A.I. Data Center Takeover In Hollenback Twp. [PDF of Article]
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Vistra Energy Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Plant VP Talks Meta/Facebook Deal, Planned 140 MW Uprate At Nuclear Plant [PDF of Article]
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: $10 Billion A.I. Data Center Campus, Natural Gas Power Plant Proposed For Former Bruce Mansfield Power Plant Site In Beaver County [Shippingport Boro Approved Jan. 28, Another Hearing To Be Set] [PDF of Article]
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Here Are More Details On The $10 Billion Shippingport A.I. Data Center Project Near Bruce Mansfield Power Plant Site: 593 Acres, 2 Million Square Feet [PDF of Article]
-- The Derrick: Clarion Borough Holds Public Hearing On A.I. Data Center Ordinance [PDF of Article]
-- The Citizens Voice: Rural Landowners In Luzerne County Offered $175,000/Acre For A.I. Data Center Takeover In Hollenback Twp. [PDF of Article]
-- NE PA Institute For Public Policy & Economic Development: Exploring The Dynamics Surrounding Data Centers In Northeastern Pennsylvania
-- Senate Passes Sen. Yaw Bill To Identify Sites For Natural Gas Power Plants [Except That Isn’t The Problem At All] [Senate Bill 704]
-- Senate Passes Bill To Weaken Plugging Standards For Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells [Senate Bill 712] [These wells were abandoned in the first place because there is no effective well plugging bond program and 100% of the burden put on taxpayers. Now conventional well boosters want to cut breaks to the industry another break by making the well plugging program less effective so wells have to be replugged more frequently. At the same time Congress and the President cut federal funding for well plugging.]
-- Reps. Matzie, Mehaffie Laud Passage Of Bill To Clear The Way For Construction Of Modular Nuclear Reactors [House Bill 2017]
-- Wall Street Journal: Google Is Spending Big To Build A Lead In A.I. Energy Race By Buying Energy Companies [PJM Highlighted] [PDF of Article]
-- Wall Street Journal: These Rural Americans Are Trying To Hold Back The Tide Of A.I. - Fears Of Rising Utility Costs, Job Losses, Privacy Violations [PDF of Article]
-- NYT: President’s Administration Is Blocking At Least 73 GW Of Much-Needed Solar Electricity Generation, 5.8 GW Of Wind Generation
[Posted: February 5, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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