PennEnvironment rallies thousands for bold climate action

In climate policy circles, the conventional wisdom is that only climate policy experts care about the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Not true, say thousands of Pennsylvanians.

On Jan. 15, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP) closed a public comment period on whether the commonwealth should enter the regional climate agreement, which requires power plants to reduce their carbon pollution, pay for the pollution they do emit, and invest the revenue in clean energy. Rallied to act by PennEnvironment, nearly 3,000 activists, 10,000 residents and over 280 elected officials, community groups, business owners and public health experts submitted favorable comments, with some testifying at 10 virtual hearings.

“RGGI is expected to reduce Pennsylvania’s carbon footprint by over 188 million tons in the first decade alone,” said Flora Cardoni, PennEnvironment field director. “The overwhelming support for the program during this comment period makes it clear that when Pennsylvanians learn about RGGI, they are all in.”

PennEnvironment is urging the PA-DEP to take bold climate action by joining RGGI.

Read more about our work during the comment period.

Learn more about our Regional Climate Action campaign.