RGGI Is Unconstitutional, Harmful, and Useless

Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is on the cusp of shaping the commonwealth’s economic future. The court will soon rule on the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s entry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the multistate cap-and-trade program that would impose a new energy tax on Pennsylvania power producers, impacting consumers’ electric costs. The state’s top court will decide whether the Keystone State prospers from energy abundance or falls victim to energy poverty.

Pennsylvania’s membership with RGGI was problematic from the onset. Former Gov. Tom Wolf entered Pennsylvania into RGGI through a unilateral executive order, usurping the legislature’s sole constitutional authority to levy taxes.

Wolf’s executive action was unconstitutional. Without the power of the purse, he could not legally create the new tax necessary for RGGI membership. Thankfully, the Commonwealth Court overruled Wolf’s unilateral act, stating “[t]he power to levy taxes is specifically reserved to the General Assembly.”

Read more at RealClearPennsylvania