Sustainable Pittsburgh commends Gov. Wolf’s commitment to cutting power sector carbon emissions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PITTSBURGH, PA – Sustainable Pittsburgh commends Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf for beginning the process of Pennsylvania’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

“Governor Wolf’s directive represents a huge step in Pennsylvania’s efforts to advance a cleaner, stronger economy and healthier, more prosperous residents,” said Sustainable Pittsburgh’s Executive Director Joylette Portlock, Ph.D.  “We are at a time when realistic, ambitious leadership is needed in all sectors to address the impacts of climate change. We commend Governor Wolf for this significant commitment to action, and to this commitment to Pennsylvania’s environmental and economic future.”

RGGI is a collaborative, market-based effort among New England and Mid-Atlantic states that reduces power sector carbon dioxide emissions. According to an announcement from Gov. Wolf’s office, RGGI states have reduced power sector CO? pollution by 45 percent since 2005, while the region’s per-capita GDP has continued to grow.

Pennsylvania is the nation’s second largest gas producer, and number 3 in coal. Yet Pennsylvania’s clean energy workforce employs more than twice as many workers as the state’s entire fossil fuel industry. In 2018 the clean energy sector added jobs five times faster than the overall state employment growth rate.

“Pennsylvania has more opportunities to grow energy-efficiency and renewable energy jobs than ever before, and the economic benefits would extend into rural, urban, and suburban communities across the commonwealth,” Portlock stated. “Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from PA’s power sector will only help accelerate our trajectory toward a more economically competitive state.”

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