Pennsylvania Steps Towards its Energy Goals with RGGI
The Regional Green House Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a corporate effort among select US States with the purpose of providing administrative and technical support to the development and implementation of each represented State’s CO2 Budget Trading Program. After previously leaving the coalition, Pennsylvania has now committed to rejoining RGGI and will allocate proceeds towards its clean transport initiatives, bringing meaningful emissions reductions along with economic development and growth to Pennsylvania. ChargEVC -PA demonstrates its full support of the initiative.
Pennsylvania, in particular, has the fourth leading CO2 emitting electricity generation sector in the country. The Commonwealth’s participation in RGGI will be a welcome step forward in achieving the state’s clean energy goals to reduce net GHG emissions from 2005 levels by 26% by 2025 and 80% by 2050. Bringing RGGI to Pennsylvania could cut pollution could by more than 180 million tons, which is equal to taking 4 million cars off the road.
As funding allocation discussions continue, the state should consider allocating significant revenue towards electrifying the transportation sector. In Pennsylvania, almost a quarter of carbon emissions come from the transportation sector. In order reduce these emissions in a meaningful way, we must invest in cleaning up this sector by electrifying light, medium, and heavy-duty privately-owned and fleet vehicles, transit and school buses, and increasing opportunities for micro mobility transportation.