Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, left, a Republican running for Governor of Pennsylvania, greets a supporter at a campaign stop Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Portersville, Pa. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Doug Mastriano said RGGI would cause virtually zero reduction in carbon emissions but provided no proof
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Robby Brod
Earlier this week, Doug Mastriano wrote in an opinion piece that Pa.’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative would cause “virtually zero reduction in carbon emissions.” He provided no data to support his claim.
Reducing carbon emissions is the central idea behind RGGI’s cap-and-trade model, and research shows Pa.’s emissions would drop significantly if it joined.
Pa.’s Environmental Quality Board wrote that RGGI would lower CO2 emissions by 31% by 2030 (compared to 2019 levels). Research published by Penn State anticipated a 42% reduction in CO2 emissions in that same timeframe.
Sources:
-Pa. Environmental Quality Board regulation text
-Penn State University research (table on pg. 77)
-For more on RGGI. https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2020/09/14/rggi-behind-the-rhetoric-what-we-know-about-the-regional-greenhouse-gas-initiative/