By Moms Clean Air Force
Pennsylvania is the third largest greenhouse gas polluting state in the nation
As the third largest greenhouse gas-polluting state in the nation, Pennsylvania has an outsize responsibility to cut climate-warming pollution. One of the state’s largest greenhouse gas polluters of carbon dioxide is the power sector—coal and natural gas power plants that generate electricity. Currently there are no limits on the amount of carbon dioxide these power plants can spew into the air. Coal plants are the worst in regard to air pollution from the power sector, and with six of them in the state, they are a major contributor to the state’s climate pollution.
Pennsylvanians are experiencing climate change today with increased flooding causing landslides, extreme weather, and ticks that carry Lyme disease. Pennsylvania has the most cases of Lyme disease in the nation. Pennsylvania’s 2020 Climate Change Impacts Assessment projects that every county will continue to get warmer and wetter particularly in winter and spring.
Pennsylvania is taking action to cut carbon pollution
Thankfully, Governor Wolf has recognized that Pennsylvania has a serious carbon pollution problem and signed an Executive Order last year to direct the state to reduce its carbon pollution by participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI (pronounced “Reggie”) is a multi-state effort designed to cut carbon pollution from power plants across 10 of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.