{"id":2402616,"date":"2025-02-14T09:01:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T14:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-closer-look-at-shapiros-carbon-tax-plan-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-14T09:04:37","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T14:04:37","slug":"a-closer-look-at-shapiros-carbon-tax-plan-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-closer-look-at-shapiros-carbon-tax-plan-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"A closer look at Shapiro\u2019s carbon tax plan &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fa-closer-look-at-shapiros-carbon-tax-plan-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2402616&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has \u200dproposed a new carbon tax initiative called the pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Act (PACER) as part of his budget requests. PACER,designed as a cap-and-trade\u200c program,aims to regulate\u200c carbon\u2064 dioxide emissions from power generation\u200c sources. this proposal is\u2062 a response to the controversial Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which was previously pursued by former Governor \u200dTom wolf but\u200d faced legal challenges\u200c and was \u200ddeemed unconstitutional by Commonwealth\u2062 Court.<\/p>\n<p>Shapiro&#8217;s administration claims \u200bthat PACER will\u2063 focus\u2062 on creating and preserving energy \u2062jobs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-denounce-bidens-use-of-executive-action-to-launch-climate-corps\/\" title=\"Republicans criticize Biden&#039;s ... to establish Climate Corps.\">addressing\u200c climate change<\/a>, and ensuring affordable energy for \u2064consumers. The plan\u200d outlines that \u200d70% of the revenue generated would\u2063 help reduce electricity bills\u200d for consumers while the remainder should support clean\u200d energy initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>Critics of the cap-and-trade approach argue that it could \u200clead \u2064to\u200b job losses and \u200bhigher \u200bconsumer costs, as evidenced \u2064by a \u200dstudy predicting that a carbon\u2064 tax could cost Pennsylvania billions in electricity sales and thousands \u2064of jobs. Republican lawmakers have warned that PACER may mirror the negative impacts of RGGI and point out the urgency of addressing\u2063 the state\u2019s reliance on\u200d reliable baseload power generation, which faces challenges from closing \u200dcoal plants and insufficient investment in new plants.<\/p>\n<p>While Shapiro&#8217;s\u2064 administration \u2062claims the program\u200d would be tailored to\u200b Pennsylvania&#8217;s needs, there remains important skepticism\u2064 and\u200c opposition regarding its\u2062 potential effectiveness\u200c and impact on the state&#8217;s\u200c economy and energy reliability.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">A closer look at Shapiro&rsquo;s carbon tax plan<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1993992\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; Gov. Josh Shapiro recently unveiled his asks for the coming state budget, and like many of his predecessors, some of his latest proposals are ones he couldn&rsquo;t get approved in years prior.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>One such request is the Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Act, called PACER for short. His administration describes it as a carbon cap-and-trade program that is, ultimately, a tax on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/france-isnt-meeting-its-own-paris-climate-accord-commitments\/\" title=\"France Isn\u2019t Meeting Its Own Paris Climate Accord Commitments\">carbon dioxide emissions<\/a> of energy sources.<\/p>\n<p>PACER is Shapiro&rsquo;s answer to the controversial Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, also known as RGGI, a similar carbon tax program former Gov. Tom Wolf attempted to force upon the commonwealth in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>PACER and RGGI cap the amount of emissions power generators create each year through an allowance system that producers trade via auction. Regarding RGGI, when Wolf issued his executive action, his plan assumed an auction price of approximately $3.57 per allowance; the most recent auction price in December was $20.05.<\/p>\n<p>The Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office &ndash; which estimated a $13.50 auction price in 2022 would represent $781 million in additional costs for Pennsylvania power generators &ndash; concluded the additional costs would be passed on to residential, business and industry consumers as well as negatively impact the generation of electricity in the state.<\/p>\n<p>Commonwealth Court found Wolf&rsquo;s executive order unconstitutional, but that decision was appealed to the state Supreme Court and is awaiting action. Shapiro has continued to defend RGGI in court, but last year, he unveiled PACER, suggesting the policy focused on &ldquo;protecting and creating energy jobs, taking real action to address climate change pollution, and ensuring reliable, affordable power for consumers in the long term.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Shapiro, who as a gubernatorial candidate questioned RGGI, has indicated he would put an end to Pennsylvania&rsquo;s participation in RGGI if the General Assembly approves PACER.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>PACER promises the same things that RGGI proponents promise, according to the Shapiro administration, but the governor notes his plan would be Pennsylvania-specific, ensuring all benefits &ndash; including revenues &ndash; generated by the program stay in the commonwealth, including 70% of generated revenue being used to lower consumer electricity bills, with remaining revenues directed at promoting clean energy projects.<\/p>\n<p>The governor also suggested PACER was the result of input supplied by his RGGI Working Group, which in 2023 was hand-picked by Shapiro and given the task of evaluating the merits of Pennsylvania&rsquo;s membership in RGGI and any proposed RGGI alternatives.<\/p>\n<p>The workgroup concluded Pennsylvania should not be part of RGGI, but couldn&rsquo;t reach a consensus on much else, other than expressing some openness to an undefined cap-and-trade program, with emphasis on including Pennsylvania and all of its neighboring states, possibly all the states served by the PJM Interconnection. PJM is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-climate-regulations-could-destabilize-grid-electricity-operators-tell-epa\/\" title=\"... operators warn EPA: New climate rules may disrupt grid.\">regional transmission organization<\/a> that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or part of 13 states &ndash; Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia &ndash; and the District of Columbia.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Critics of cap-and-trade programs point out such programs export energy generation from participating states to neighboring non-participating states, not only relocating a substantial amount of energy jobs and business, which significantly impacts the economies of those states losing their energy producers and workers, but also exporting carbon emissions emissions to non-participating states, not reducing them.<\/p>\n<p>For Pennsylvania, which is one of the largest energy producers in the nation, a June 2021 analysis by David T. Stevenson, director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Delaware-based Caesar Rodney Institute, found a carbon tax would cost the commonwealth as much as $2 billion a year in electricity sales, 22,000 jobs and $7.7 billion in combined economic productivity. These impacts were based on auction prices far lower than the current $20.05.<\/p>\n<p>Senate Republicans last year, when Shapiro proposed PACER, argued the impacts of a Pennsylvania-specific cap-and-trade program would be no different than RGGI&rsquo;s impacts.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The key challenge is a cap-and-tax initiative is punitive and we shouldn&rsquo;t be having this conversation with a punitive mindset,&rdquo; said Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Williamsport, the majority chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, has been clear about his opposition to any type of cap-and-trade program.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; said Yaw. &ldquo;The governor left out the real crisis we are facing in the next 10 years: the generation of baseload electricity.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Baseload power plants run continuously to meet demand, day or night, regardless of the weather.<\/p>\n<p>His assertions backed up by reports by PJM in recent years, Yaw said the state and the larger PJM are falling behind in <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">replacing baseload electricity generation capacity<\/a> that has been lost due to policy changes that have forced the closure of coal power plants, in addition to other aging energy-producing facilities going offline.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Over the next few years, we are expected to lose 40,000 megawatts (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,&rdquo; Yaw said, adding that these policies send &ldquo;a terrible message to potential investors considering Pennsylvania for investments in reliable, baseload generation.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Yaw explained that a natural gas electric generation facility takes three to five years to build, while a nuclear facility takes 15 to 20 years. To meet the projected electricity needs three years from now, Yaw said, &ldquo;We should have 10 combined cycle generation facilities under construction right now. We don&rsquo;t, and we are running out of time.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>PACER, as well as Shapiro&rsquo;s other proposal to require utility companies to purchase more electricity generated by renewable sources &ndash; most of which are still unreliable as on-demand energy sources because their generation fluctuates depending on time of day and weather conditions &ndash; are doing nothing to address looming energy grid reliability concerns, argued Yaw.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1993992\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1993992\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shapiro&#8217;s carbon tax plan aims to reduce emissions in Pennsylvania<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2402617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Josh-Shapiro-DNC.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[50378,34231,50377,32076],"class_list":["post-2402616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-carbon-tax","tag-policy-analysis","tag-shapiro-2","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Josh-Shapiro-DNC.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2402616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2402616"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2402616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2402620,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2402616\/revisions\/2402620"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2402617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2402616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2402616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2402616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}