In another clash with lawmakers, Wolf vetoes bill blocking his efforts to fight climate change

Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a bill that would have stripped his administration of the ability to regulate carbon emissions without legislative approval.

The proposal would have blocked his administration from entering the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, a group of 10 states that restrict carbon emissions from power plants in an effort to fight climate change.

“Given the urgency of the climate crisis facing Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth must take concrete, economically sound, and immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Wolf said in a veto message to lawmakers on Thursday. “Allowing this legislation to become law would effectively deny that climate change is an urgent problem that demands prudent solutions.”

Pennsylvania releases roughly 264 million tons of carbon each year, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. About a third of that comes from power plants.

Read more: https://www.penncapital-star.com/blog/in-another-clash-with-lawmakers-wolf-vetoes-bill-blocking-his-efforts-to-fight-climate-change/