March 15, 2024

D.C. Circuit Delivers EPA a Loss on Startup, Shutdown, and Malfunction Waivers under the Clean Air Act

Pittsburgh, PA and Washington, DC

Environmental Alert

(by Joseph Schaeffer and Gina Buchman)

On March 1, 2024, the D.C. Circuit issued its long-awaited decision in Environmental Committee of the Florida Electric Power Coordinating Group, Inc. v. EPA, No. 15-1239 (D.C. Cir. Mar. 1, 2024), in which it vacated the majority of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) final agency action commonly referred to as the 2015 SSM SIP Call.  The agency action required states to remove provisions in their state implementation plans (SIPs) that insulate sources from liability for excess emissions occurring during periods associated with startups, shutdowns, and malfunctions (SSM). To understand the impact of this decision, it is necessary to understand both what was at issue and what the Court did (and did not) decide.

Environmental Committee is the product of a long-simmering dispute over SSM provisions.

Under the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7401 et seq., states are required to adopt and submit for EPA’s approval SIPs that provide for the implementation, maintenance, and enforcement of national ambient air quality standards within their jurisdictions. 42 U.S.C. § 7410(a)(1). From the time that SIPs were first required as part of the 1970 amendments to the Clean Air Act, many states have included special provisions governing SSM events. These SSM provisions generally fall into one of four categories:

  1. Automatic exemption provisions excluding SSM periods from otherwise applicable emissions rules;
  2. Director’s discretion provisions allowing state officials to independently and conclusively determine that excess emissions during SSM periods are not violations of applicable emissions rules;
  3. Enforcement discretion provisions allowing state officials to bar enforcement action for excess emissions during SSM periods;
March 14, 2024

Developments in Data Privacy

Pittsburgh, PA

PIOGA Press

(by Ember Holmes and Justine Kasznica)

In 2023, Pennsylvania’s Breach of Personal Information Notification Act (BPINA), underwent its first major update since it was signed into law in June 2006. The Amended BPINA¹ went into effect on May 2, 2023. The Amended BPINA affects all Pennsylvania entities that store information belonging to Pennsylvania residents, including energy companies, but has the most significant impact on state agencies and entities that contract with state agencies.

BPINA was designed to set security parameters and standards for entities that maintain, store, or manage computerized data containing the Personal Information (as defined below) of Pennsylvania residents. BPINA sets forth specific requirements for notifying residents of security system breaches. The Amended BPINA creates new definitions for previously undefined terms in BPINA, amends existing term definitions, and bolsters notification and security requirements for state agencies, state agency contractors, counties, public schools, and municipalities.

As a state agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) will be subject to this higher level of scrutiny with regard to its handling of personal information. In addition, any entity that contracts with the PADEP or maintains data on behalf of the PADEP or any other state agency is also subject to these more stringent requirements and should be familiar with the updates as applicable to their notification, reporting, and encryption practices.

Expanded Definition of “Personal Information” and Related Notification Requirements

  • The original BPINA definition of “Personal Information” included: (i) social security numbers; (ii) driver’s license numbers or state identification card numbers issued in lieu of driver’s licenses; and (iii) financial account numbers and credit or debit card numbers, in combination with any required access codes or passwords that would permit access to an individual’s account.
February 27, 2024

The New Energy & Transportation Technology Revolution: Can Pennsylvania Adapt?

Washington, DC

City & State Pennsylvania Magazine

(by Jim Chen)

Published in January of this year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (“EIA”) Short-Term Energy Outlook (‘STEO’) forecast shows a rising trend in energy production across all sectors.  These trends include not only an increase in oil and gas production, but also a rise in alternative energy generation such as wind and solar, supported by battery storage technology that increases by 14 gigawatts this year and 9 gigawatts next year for a total installed capacity of 40 gigawatts by 2025.  Overall, these trends are a net positive for the United States as the country diversifies energy sources in the United States and the means by which electricity is generated.  Diversification of our energy supply matters – not simply from a supply side calculus, but for reasons of national security, technology leadership, economic prosperity and growth, and the environment.  An “all-of-the-above” strategy is simply smart policy for the United States.

From an economic perspective, reliance on a single source of energy leaves the country vulnerable to price shocks and shortages when inevitable issues arise.  Petroleum should be a particular focus as the United States is the largest consumer of oil in the world at over 20 million barrels per day.  Of that amount, 66.6% is consumed in the transportation sector, 43% for motor gasoline alone.  As a result, diversification can be beneficial and reduce risk in the transportation sector as part of the overall energy mix.

The national security and economic implications of an overreliance on a single source of energy are significant, regardless of the U.S. rate of domestic production.  For example, oil is a global commodity subject to volatile price fluctuations based on world events. 

February 15, 2024

A Methane Mixed Bag: EPA Finalizes Methane Rule for New and Existing Oil and Gas Facilities

Pittsburgh, PA

PIOGA Press

(By Gary Steinbauer and Christina Puhnaty)

On December 2, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication version of its final Standards of Performance for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources and Emissions Guidelines for Existing Sources: Oil and Natural Gas Sector Climate Review (Final Rule). The Final Rule comes more than two years after EPA published its initial proposal on November 15, 2021 (Initial Proposal) and a supplemental proposal on December 6, 2022 (Supplemental Proposal) (collectively, the “Proposals”). According to EPA, the agency received over one million comments on the Proposals. (For information on the Proposals, please see our November 11, 2021 and December 12, 2022 articles.) This Alert focuses on critical aspects of the Final Rule, including key changes that EPA made since issuing the Proposals.1 

Brief Overview of Methane Rule

The Methane Rule is comprised of four separate actions proposed under sections 111(b) and 111(d) of the Clean Air Act. EPA currently regulates emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and methane from oil and natural gas facilities under 40 C.F.R Part 60 Subparts OOOO2 and OOOOa3. First, through this Final Rule, EPA will regulate oil and natural gas facilities constructed, modified, or reconstructed after December 6, 2022, under a new Subpart OOOOb. The requirements in OOOOb will apply to affected facilities 60 days after the rule is published in the federal register. Second, under a new Subpart OOOOc, EPA finalized emissions guidelines that are intended to inform states in the development, submittal, and implementation of state plans to establish standards of performance for greenhouse gases (in the form of limitations on methane) from sources existing on or before December 6, 2022.

February 14, 2024

PFAS and RCRA: EPA’s Latest Proposed Rules Significantly Expand Corrective Action Authority

Washington, DC

Environmental Alert

(by Sloane Anders Wildman and Jessica Deyoe)

On February 8, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published two proposed rules to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other emerging contaminants under the authority of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Specifically, EPA is proposing to add nine PFAS (including their salts and structural isomers) to the list of “hazardous constituents” in Appendix VIII of 40 C.F.R. Part 261. EPA is also proposing to clarify, by regulation, that emerging contaminants – including PFAS – can be addressed under RCRA’s Corrective Action Program. Comments on the first proposed rule, Listing of Specific PFAS as Hazardous Constituents, are due April 8, 2024, and comments on the second proposed rule, Definition of Hazardous Waste Applicable to Corrective Action for Releases from Solid Waste Management Units, are due March 11, 2024.

EPA first announced its intent to regulate PFAS under RCRA in its 2021 PFAS Strategic Roadmap. This came as a direct response to a petition by New Mexico’s Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham requesting the EPA list PFAS as RCRA Subtitle C hazardous waste, either as a class of chemicals or as individual chemicals. Then, in November 2021, the EPA announced it would initiate rulemaking for two RCRA actions, which have now been published in the Federal Register as proposed rules more than two years later.

RCRA and the Regulation and Cleanup of Hazardous Waste

RCRA gives EPA the authority to control and regulate hazardous waste from “cradle-to-grave” under its Subtitle C regulatory framework. 42 U.S.C. §§ 6921-6934;

February 13, 2024

Pennsylvania Senator Yaw Introduces Bill to Repeal RGGI

Pittsburgh, PA and Washington, DC

Environmental Alert

(By Kevin Garber and Jessica Deyoe)

On February 2, 2024, Pennsylvania Senator Gene Yaw introduced SB 1058 to repeal the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative CO2 Budget Trading Program regulation that the Environmental Quality Board promulgated in 2022. Senator Yaw stated that “RGGI is wrong for Pennsylvania” and believes that Pennsylvania would be better suited by an “environmentally responsible energy policy that recognizes and champions Pennsylvania as an energy producer.” He further stated that RGGI would leave thousands of Pennsylvanians struggling to pay their utility bills and would have a detrimental impact on the reliability of the region’s electric grid.

In part, this bill comes as a response to Governor Shapiro’s appeal of a November 2023 ruling by the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, which held that the RGGI regulation was an unconstitutional tax and declared the rule to be void. See Bowfin KeyCon Holdings, LLC et al v. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (No. 247 M.D. 2022). It also comes not long after members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly met with members of the Ohio General Assembly to discuss the reliability of the mid-Atlantic power grid PJM manages. PJM is the regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia. PJM projects 20 percent of its existing capacity will retire before 2030.

Earlier, on December 12, 2023, Senator Yaw introduced SB 832 to create an Independent Energy Office in Pennsylvania.  The Office would be a nonpartisan independent agency committed to providing at least one statewide energy report to each legislative session that reviews the use of fossil fuels, renewable energy, and nuclear power to meet the Commonwealth’s energy needs and working with the General Assembly to establish a statewide energy plan.

February 12, 2024

When Standing Won’t Stand – Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules that a Grant of Party Status by a Zoning Hearing Board Does Not Automatically Convey Appellate Rights

Pittsburgh, PA

The Legal Intelligencer

(by Michael Korns and Anna Hosack)

Last spring, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court addressed the question of who is entitled to standing in matters before a municipal zoning hearing board, and more importantly, who has standing to file an appeal from a board decision.  In South Bethlehem Assocs., LP v. Zoning Hearing Bd. of Bethlehem Twp., 294 A.3d 441 (Pa. 2023), the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held in a three-two decision that while the Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq., (the “MPC”), allows the Board wide latitude to grant party status, a grant of standing by the Board does not automatically convey appellate rights absent a finding that the party is entitled to judicial review under the Local Agency Law, 2 Pa.C.S. § 105 et seq., only if they qualify under the “aggrieved party” standard, which requires that they had suffered a harm to an interest that the law is intended to protect.  However, this was a narrow decision, and the dissenters would allow any grant of party status by the Board to also grant appellate standing.  The result would be a dramatic relaxation of appellate standing requirements in zoning hearing board cases.

In South Bethlehem Assocs., the Applicant, a hotel owner, applied to the Zoning Hearing Board of Bethlehem Township (“ZHB”) and requested a dimensional variance.  At the public hearing before the ZHB, counsel for a business competitor of the Applicant appeared and claimed party status by signing in on the provided form as an objector.  The Applicant objected to the Objector’s participation because the Objector’s hotel was outside of the four-hundred-foot radius required for formal notice of the hearing. 

February 1, 2024

Court to rule on WV pooling statute challenge

Charleston, WV

GO-WV

(by Robert Stonestreet and Austin Rogers)

A federal appeals court has instructed a lower court to resolve a pending suit challenging the constitutionality of West Virginia’s oil and gas pooling and unitization law.  The federal district court previously declined to resolve certain constitutional issues presented in the suit on the grounds that those issues should be decided by a state court instead of a federal court.

In 2022, the West Virginia Legislature enacted Senate Bill 694 to revise West Virginia law governing the pooling and unitization of oil and gas formations associated with horizontal well development.  Pooling and unitization essentially involves combining separately owned properties into a single “unit” through which one or more horizontal wells are drilled.  The oil and gas produced from the horizontal well is then allocated among all the properties in the unit for purposes of calculating production royalties payable to the mineral owners.

Prior to Senate Bill 694 becoming effective on June 7, 2022, formation of a pooled unit for a horizontal well drilled through “shallow” oil and gas formations, which includes the Marcellus Shale, required consent of 100% of the mineral owners for all the properties to be included in the unit.  This 100% consent requirement did not apply to horizontal wells drilled through “deep formations” such as the Utica Shale.  One of the more significant changes made by SB 694 was to allow the West Virginia Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to approve units for shallow formations where at least 75% of the mineral owners consent, provided other requirements are also satisfied.  This means that up to 25% of a unit could potentially include properties for which the mineral owner did not consent to being part of a unit.

February 1, 2024

Federal Court Directed to Rule on Challenge to WV Pooling Statute

Charleston, WV

Energy Alert

(by Robert Stonestreet and Austin Rogers)

A federal appeals court has instructed a lower court to resolve a pending suit challenging the constitutionality of West Virginia’s oil and gas pooling and unitization law.  The federal district court previously declined to resolve certain constitutional issues presented in the suit on the grounds that those issues should be decided by a state court instead of a federal court.

In 2022, the West Virginia Legislature enacted Senate Bill 694 to revise West Virginia law governing the pooling and unitization of oil and gas formations associated with horizontal well development.  Pooling and unitization essentially involves combining separately owned properties into a single “unit” through which one or more horizontal wells are drilled.  The oil and gas produced from the horizontal well is then allocated among all the properties in the unit for purposes of calculating production royalties payable to the mineral owners.

Prior to Senate Bill 694 becoming effective on June 7, 2022, formation of a pooled unit for a horizontal well drilled through “shallow” oil and gas formations, which includes the Marcellus Shale, required consent of 100% of the mineral owners for all the properties to be included in the unit.  This 100% consent requirement did not apply to horizontal wells drilled through “deep formations” such as the Utica Shale.  One of the more significant changes made by SB 694 was to allow the West Virginia Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to approve units for shallow formations where at least 75% of the mineral owners consent, provided other requirements are also satisfied.  This means that up to 25% of a unit could potentially include properties for which the mineral owner did not consent to being part of a unit.

January 27, 2024

Forum Non Conveniens – Pennsylvania’s Jurisdiction Jigsaw Puzzle

Pittsburgh, PA and Harrisburg, PA

Legal Intelligencer

(by Carla Castello and Casey Alan Coyle)

Few concepts are more steeped in Pennsylvania law than the doctrine of forum non conveniens.  Memorialized in Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1006, the doctrine provides defendants a “necessary counterbalance to a plaintiff’s choice of forum to insure [sic] fairness and practicality.”  Bratic v. Rubendall, 99 A.3d 1, 6 (Pa. 2014) (cleaned up).  Historically, to establish forum non conveniens, a defendant had to show the plaintiff’s chosen forum is either oppressive or vexatious without any particular form of proof.  Through a series of recent decisions, however, the Pennsylvania Superior Court has sown uncertainty in the once-settled area of the law, subjecting some litigants to new, more rigid requirements and others to the traditional, flexible standard that has existed under Pennsylvania law for over a quarter century.  With each new decision, the intermediate appellate court reveals another piece of the puzzle.  But as a fragmented image takes shape, litigants and trial courts are looking to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to solve the puzzle.

Background

Forum non conveniens was once a reliable tool for defendants to transfer a case to a more appropriate forum in the Commonwealth if litigating in the plaintiff’s chosen forum would be oppressive or vexatious.  In applying the doctrine, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has consistently emphasized the necessity of a fact-specific assessment, refusing to impose a specific standard of proof and instead focusing on the totality of the circumstances with considerable discretion granted to trial courts.  Bratic, 99 A.3d at 6-8; Cheeseman v. Lethal Exterminator, Inc., 701 A.2d 156 (Pa.

January 9, 2024

Public Advertising Cheat Sheet: A Local Government Guide to Mandatory Advertising and Posting Requirements

Pittsburgh, PA

Legal Intelligencer

(by Steve Korbel, Anna Jewart and Anna Hosack)

Last week, thousands of newly elected public officials took office across Pennsylvania and began their duties.  Whether beginning a first or fifth term, those in public office must review their obligations regarding open meetings and public engagement.  Several statutes in Pennsylvania impose open meeting, public comment, and advertising requirements.  This “cheat sheet” will focus on the most common requirements for local governments, and specifically will address two key statutes: the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act, 65 Pa.C.S. § 701716 (the “Sunshine Act”) and the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq, (the “MPC”), which local government officials are likely to come across in their duties.

The Sunshine Act is the primary “open meetings” law for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  Its intent is to promote the right of the public to be present at all meetings of public agencies and to witness the deliberation, policy formulation, and decision-making of those agencies.  In general, it requires that agencies, including local governing bodies and their committees, take official action at a public meeting.  The MPC is the statute that authorizes local zoning and other land use regulations.  It sets additional requirements for actions involving zoning, subdivision, and land development.

The Sunshine Act and MPC are not the only statutes that regulate how official action is taken.  Municipal enabling legislation such as the Borough Code, 8 Pa.C.S. §101 et seq., First Class Township Code, 53 P.S. §55101 et seq., and Second Class Township Code, 53 P.S. §65101 et seq., impose advertising and other requirements for the approval of ordinances, bidding processes, approval of budgets, and other matters.  

December 26, 2023

MindShare: Developments in Data Privacy

Pittsburgh, PA

TEQ Magazine

(By Ember Holmes)

Earlier this year, Pennsylvania’s Breach of Personal Information Notification Act (BPINA), underwent its first major update since it was signed into law in June 2006.

The Amended BPINA1,  which went into effect on May 2, 2023, affects all Pennsylvania entities that store information belonging to Pennsylvania residents, but has the most significant impact on state agencies and entities that contract with state agencies.

BPINA was designed to set security parameters and standards for entities that maintain, store or manage computerized data containing the Personal Information (as defined below) of Pennsylvania residents. BPINA sets forth specific requirements for notifying residents of security system breaches. The Amended BPINA creates new definitions for previously undefined terms in BPINA, amends existing term definitions, and bolsters notification and security requirements for state agencies, state agency contractors, counties, public schools, and municipalities.

As a state agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) will be subject to this higher level of scrutiny with regard to its handling of personal information. In addition, any entity that contracts with the PADEP or maintains data on behalf of the PADEP or any other state agency is also subject to these more stringent requirements and should be familiar with the updates as applicable to their notification, reporting and encryption practices.

Expanded Definition of “Personal Information” and Related Notification Requirements

  • The original BPINA definition of “Personal Information” included: (i) Social Security numbers; (ii) driver’s license numbers or state identification card numbers issued in lieu of driver’s licenses; and (iii) financial account numbers and credit or debit card numbers, in combination with any required access codes or passwords that would permit access to an individual’s account.
December 22, 2023

U.S. EPA Releases Second Annual Progress Report Updating its PFAS Strategic Roadmap, Highlighting Progress, Delays, and Future Actions

Pittsburgh, PA

Environmental Alert

(By Matt Wood)

On December 14, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Second Annual Progress Report to its 2021 PFAS Strategic Roadmap, summarizing updates on the agency’s actions and goals to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS.  Although beyond the scope of this Alert, it is notable that many of EPA’s actions and proposed actions described below have faced opposition by various parties.

PFAS, which have garnered increased attention from state and federal regulators over the last few years, are a group of thousands of manmade chemicals that have been widely used for decades in various consumer, commercial, and industrial applications.  Some of the most common PFAS applications include manufacturing water-, stain-, and heat-resistant products and as ingredients in aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) used to extinguish certain kinds of chemical fires.

The 2021 Roadmap highlights EPA’s “whole-of-agency” approach to PFAS, which, with the two Progress Reports, includes proposed actions across multiple program offices focusing on the PFAS “lifecycle,” i.e., manufacturing, processing, distribution in commerce, use, and disposal, as well as addressing PFAS in the environment.  Informing EPA’s focus on the PFAS lifecycle are the 2021 Roadmap’s three central directives: (1) Research; (2) Restrict; and (3) Remediate.  Some of the major highlights from the Second Progress Report include:

  1. In January 2023, EPA released its 15th Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) Plan for setting technology-based standards to address PFAS discharges by industry. Among other things, EPA announced in the ELG Plan that it will be pursuing a rulemaking to address discharges from landfills and implementing a study of influent from Publicly Owned Treatment Works to identify industries that warrant PFAS ELGs. 
December 18, 2023

A Methane Mixed Bag: EPA Finalizes Methane Rule for New and Existing Oil and Gas Facilities

Pittsburgh, PA

PIOGA eWeekly

(By Gary Steinbauer and Christina Puhnaty)

On December 2, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication version of its final Standards of Performance for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources and Emissions Guidelines for Existing Sources: Oil and Natural Gas Sector Climate Review (Final Rule). The Final Rule comes more than two years after EPA published its initial proposal on November 15, 2021 (Initial Proposal) and a supplemental proposal on December 6, 2022 (Supplemental Proposal) (collectively, the “Proposals”). According to EPA, the agency received over one million comments on the Proposals.  For information on the Proposals, please see our November 11, 2021 and December 12, 2022 articles. This Alert focuses on critical aspects of the Final Rule, including key changes that EPA made since issuing the Proposals.1

Brief Overview of Methane Rule

The Methane Rule is comprised of four separate actions proposed under sections 111(b) and 111(d) of the Clean Air Act. EPA currently regulates emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and methane from oil and natural gas facilities under 40 C.F.R Part 60 Subparts OOOO2 and OOOOa.3 First, through this Final Rule, EPA will regulate oil and natural gas facilities constructed, modified, or reconstructed after December 6, 2022, under a new Subpart OOOOb.  The requirements in OOOOb will apply to affected facilities 60 days after the rule is published in the federal register.  Second, under a new Subpart OOOOc, EPA finalized emissions guidelines that are intended to inform states in the development, submittal, and implementation of state plans to establish standards of performance for greenhouse gases (in the form of limitations on methane) from sources existing on or before December 6, 2022

December 18, 2023

Shapiro Administration Appeals Commonwealth Court Invalidation of RGGI

Pittsburgh, PA and Washington, DC

PIOGA Press

(By Kevin Garber and Jessica Deyoe)

On November 21, 2023, the Shapiro administration appealed, to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Commonwealth Court’s November 1 ruling that the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is an unconstitutional tax, and therefore is void and unenforceable. See Bowfin KeyCon Holdings, LLC et al v. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (No. 247 M.D. 2022). The Commonwealth Court concluded that, to pass constitutional muster, Pennsylvania’s participation in RGGI “may only be achieved through legislation duly enacted by the Pennsylvania General Assembly” and not merely through the rulemaking promulgated by the Environmental Quality Board and the Department of Environmental Protection.

The Shapiro administration said it is appealing the decision because the “Commonwealth Court’s decision on RGGI—put in place by the prior administration—was limited to questions of executive authority, and our Administration must appeal in order to protect the important authority for this Administration and all future governors.”

The Governor’s decision to appeal the Commonwealth Court’s decision does not necessarily mean he supports RGGI, put in place by the previous Wolf administration. Even if the Shapiro administration wins on the appeal, it is unclear whether the Governor will enforce the regulation. In fact, the administration did not oppose the Bowfin KeyCon industry petitioners’ application to vacate the automatic stay that arises by law when the Commonwealth appeals a case. That means the RGGI regulation will continue to be ineffective and unenforceable while the appeal is pending.

The Shapiro administration is urging lawmakers to develop an alternative plan, stating in a press release that “should legislative leaders choose to engage in constructive dialogue, the Governor is confident we can agree on a stronger alternative to RGGI.” The Governor’s spokesperson Manual Bonder indicated that Governor Shapiro “stands ready and willing to implement the recommendations of the RGGI Working Group and he would sign legislation replacing RGGI with a Pennsylvania-based or PJM-wide cap-and-invest program, as they proposed.”

Shortly after taking office, Shapiro formed the RGGI Working Group consisting of a mix of labor, business, energy, and environmental leaders to determine whether RGGI would “protect and create energy jobs,” “take real action to address climate change,” and “ensure reliable, affordable power for consumers in the long-term.” The Working Group never endorsed RGGI.

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