Letter to the editor: RGGI hikes energy costs

As over 1 million Pennsylvanians struggle to pay their utility bills, Gov. Tom Wolf pushes for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap-and-trade policy that increases energy costs.

In his letter “RGGI will help Pa. in post-coal world” (Oct. 20, TribLIVE), environmental activist Andrew Woomer challenged opponents of RGGI to describe their plan for Pennsylvania’s energy industry. It’s a trick question because energy in the state is already booming and quickly getting cleaner. We simply oppose sabotaging its progress.

The stated goal of RGGI is to reduce carbon dioxide pollution, and Pennsylvania is doing that. We’re reducing emissions without RGGI by transitioning from coal production to natural gas.

Meanwhile, RGGI doesn’t even achieve its clean-air goals. The policy has had no effect on carbon dioxide emissions or renewable energy promotion in the states that implemented it, according to a study by David Stevenson. All RGGI would do is add $412 million to production costs through auction prices. This averages out to $90 per household. Over a period of eight years, electricity prices rose 64% more in states with RGGI than in comparable states without.

RGGI heaps burdensome costs on Pennsylvanians already struggling to keep the lights on. Our plan? To say “no thanks.”

Stefanie Klaves

Grove City

The writer is a public policy intern for the Commonwealth Foundation.