Two federal lawmakers and a state senator said they are glad today to see the Commonwealth Court’s ruling that former Gov. Tom Wolf’s unilateral decision to enter Pennsylvania into a Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative was unconstitutional.

U.S. Reps. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, and Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Howard, both said the second largest energy-producing state in the nation should not be hamstrung to unattainable standards set by nearby states, including Connecticut and New Jersey.

Joining them in their sentiment was state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township.

Both Congressmen said they believed Pennsylvania’s energy industry differed from other states in the RGGI, making standards set by the initiative incompatible with this state’s production potential.

Both said they support the state goal as one to increase natural gas capacity to provide clean, reliable and affordable energy to the residents, nation and world in ways to manage carbon emissions.

“RGGI posed a threat to the 123,000 natural gas jobs in the state,” according to Meuser. “These included jobs in the energy industry, other employees and for consumers.”

In early 2021, Pennsylvania’s Republican Congressional delegation wrote to the-Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell expressing serious concerns about the Commonwealth joining RGGI.

“Every other participating state entered RGGI through the legislative process — not executive action and a bipartisan majority of Pennsylvania legislators have consistently voted against RGGI when the issue has been brought to the floor,” Yaw said.

“I appreciate the Commonwealth Court’s rejection of this unconstitutional maneuver,” Yaw said.