Shapiro estimates the proposals would save ratepayers $250 million over five years and create 14,500 jobs.

The Environmental Quality Board voted Tuesday to approve a draft regulation that would have Pennsylvania join RGGI. It next goes up for public comment.

House Bill 2025 would require legislative approval for Pennsylvania to enter a program such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

The bill would bar the Department of Environmental Protection from taking any action that is designed to control carbon dioxide emissions, including participation in a regional greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program such as RGGI, unless the action is authorized by the General Assembly.  

Pennsylvania may soon join a regional program meant to limit greenhouse gas emissions and increase investments in green transportation.

The bill would allow Pennsylvania to set its own cap, or negotiate with a group of other states in a regional program.

The organization is trying to walk a fine line between respecting states’ rights while figuring out how to incorporate diverse climate polices into its wholesale electricity market.

The ramifications of the petition could be politically significant– allowing significant climate policy to be implemented without new legislation.