Energy

The rolling blackouts in Texas stemming from a freak-shot of bitter weather demonstrated the unreliability of boutique power, and, by mere chance, coincided with an important decision in Pennsylvania.

Those most harmed by the Wolf Administration’s “March to the Sea” regulatory campaign to destroy jobs in Pennsylvania’s energy industry have a two-month window to fight back. A public comment period, November 7 to January 14, 2021, has opened before the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC).

Back in September, a broad cross section of the commonwealth’s top job creators sent state lawmakers and Governor Tom Wolf a preemptive, cautionary letter urging them not to slap the energy industry with new, additional taxes to balance the remaining portion of the state budget left hanging by the quick onset of the pandemic in the spring.

After a contentious meeting, the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) voted 13-6 this week to toss aside the objections of business, organized labor, and consumer groups, and move forward with Governor Tom Wolf’s plan for Pennsylvania to join a cartel of ten Northeastern states that taxes carbon emissions.

Following the EQB vote, PMA’s President & CEO, David N. Taylor, issued the following statement:

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio filed bribery and racketeering charges against Speaker of the Ohio House Larry Householder and four others over the enactment of nuke bailout legislation and subsequent efforts to thwart a statewide voter referendum. FirstEnergy Corp., whose lobbyist was among those arrested and charged, funded the corrupt influence operation with more than $60 million, according to the U.S. attorney’s indictment.