PA Cap and Trade Proposal Would Have Massive Impact on Many Small Businesses
NFIB questions DEP’s authority to advance proposal that would wreak financial havoc in state
HARRISBURG, April 17, 2019 – NFIB, an association that advocates on behalf of 12,500 small businesses in Pennsylvania, is concerned by a vote by a Department of Environmental Protection board that accepted for consideration a proposal establishing a statewide cap and trade program. That regulatory proposal, which advanced to the next stage at DEP, is modeled after one in California. It would require certain industries to purchase emission allowances at auction and gradually lower greenhouse gas emissions to net zero in 2052.
“We don’t believe a state agency has the authority to institute a cap and trade program through regulations that could wreak financial havoc on small businesses, raise the cost of energy for everyone, and do massive harm to the sstate economy and jobs,” said Gordon Denlinger, state director of NFIB in Pennsylvania. “The vote by the Environmental Quality Board to move this proposal ahead in the regulatory process is way beyond the DEP’s authority. Lawmakers on both sides agree, and the state Supreme Court has previously affirmed it.”
“This cap and trade proposal being pushed forth by environmentalists would severely impact energy producers and small businesses such as farms, trucking companies, and small manufacturers. It will raise the cost of making cement, glass, paper, and more, and increase building and construction costs,” added Denlinger. “If passed, it would result in huge tax increases, endanger the reliability of our energy supply, and hurt the economy while creating a costly state bureaucracy.”
For an interview contact:
Gordon Denlinger
NFIB’s State Director in Pennsylvania
O: 717-232-8582 x 4 C: 717-587-5660
