Seven Filed Amicus Brief Supporting Pennsylvania’s Participation in Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

OCTOBER 14, 2022

New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of seven attorneys general in filing an amicus brief defending Pennsylvania’s right to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which petitioners in the case tried to prevent from happening. RGGI is an interstate cap-and-trade program that aims to reduce total carbon dioxide emissions from power plants across all participating states. A group of petitioners, including companies that own fossil fuel-fired power plants as well as several unions, challenged Pennsylvania’s participation in the program, arguing that it manipulates the market. In their amicus brief, the AGs refuted that claim, explaining that the agreement is voluntary and non-binding, and amplifies (rather than transforms) economic trends in the states. Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, along with the City of New York, joined AG James in the October 14 brief.