Overview
- Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the withdrawal as part of negotiations that ended a prolonged impasse and cleared a roughly $50.1 billion state budget.
- Because Pennsylvania’s entry had been tied up in court, the withdrawal moots the pending state Supreme Court review and the state never participated in allowance auctions.
- Pennsylvania’s power-sector emissions outsize those of all current RGGI members combined, amplifying the regional impact on auction revenues and emissions accounting.
- Environmental advocates and some Democrats criticized the decision as giving up a key climate tool, while the Commonwealth Foundation hailed it as a win for ratepayers and jobs.
- Shapiro has floated a state program called PACER that could later link to RGGI, though it faces an uphill path in the Republican-controlled Senate, as Virginia signals a return to the compact.