HARRISBURG — Last-choice candidate Katie McGinty is officially in the race against Joe Sestak for the Democrats’ Senate nomination. With that formality out of the way, it’s time for McGinty to tell Pennsylvanians where she stands on the issues — starting with President Obama’s jobs-destroying, rate-hiking climate plan.
Both the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry have said that the Obama climate plan will slam Pennsylvanians with higher energy costs. An independent analysis said the plan could raise electricity costs by 14 percent in the Keystone State. And McGinty already stood behind President Obama’s cap-and-trade carbon tax plan, which, according to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, could have cost Pennsylvania 66,000 jobs. Will she continue her radical environmental streak and back this latest proposal to dig deeper into the pockets of Pennsylvania families?
“Now that Katie McGinty is officially running for office, she owes voters an answer about the President’s radical climate plan,” Republican Party of Pennsylvania Communications Director Megan Sweeney said. “Will McGinty back a double-digit rate hike on every Pennsylvania family and business? Will she stand with President Obama and turn her back on the people she wants to represent? Pennsylvanians deserve to hear from her – not down the road, but now.”
BACKGROUND
Pennsylvania DEP and Chamber Predicted the Clean Power Plan Will Cause Electricity Costs to Rise, Hurt Market Reliability
The Pennsylvania Department Of Environmental Protection: “The Clean Power Plan Could Leave Residential, Commercial, And Industrial U.S. Consumers Exposed To Less Reliable, More Expensive, And More Volatile Electric Markets In The Future.” (David Conti, “Pennsylvania Gov.-Elect Wolf’s View on EPA Proposal Uncertain, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 12/2/14)
Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry President CEO Gene Barr: “By Any Reasonable Measure, These Aggressive, Far-Reaching Rules Will Increase Energy Costs for Consumers and Businesses In Order To Produce a Negligible Reduction in Global Carbon Emissions.” (Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, “PA Chamber: Increased Costs Under EPA’s Clean Power Plan Will Jeopardize State’s Position As Energy Leader,” Press Release, 8/3/14)
“An Independent Economic Analysis by NERA Economic Consulting Showed That Pennsylvania’s Electricity Prices Could Increase by More Than 14 Percent.” (Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, “PA Chamber: Increased Costs under EPA’s Clean Power Plan Will Jeopardize State’s Position as Energy Leader,” Press Release, 8/3/14)
In 2009, McGinty Said Passing Cap-And-Trade Legislation Was “Vitally Important.” “As the recent G-20 talks in Pittsburgh reminded us, this is a critical year for charting a new future on climate change. Every day we are confronted with new evidence suggesting the effects of climate change are getting worse. We must rethink our current energy system to successfully transition to a clean energy infrastructure that is environmentally and economically advantageous. The clean energy and climate legislation being debated by the U.S. Congress represents the next and vitally important step. Among consideration is a cap-and-trade program that combines regulatory and market-based approaches. The cap establishes a quantifiable, enforceable limit on greenhouse-gas emissions. The trade creates a market enabling the private sector to establish a price on emissions and to determine how best to deploy resources to meet the cap at the lowest possible cost to the U.S. economy and consumers.” (Kathleen McGinty, Op-Ed, “Clean Energy Must Be On US Priority List,” The Patriot-News, 10/4/09)
McGinty: “It Is Time For The Federal Government To Give States Like Pennsylvania And Working Families Everywhere The Assist We Need By Passing Strong Clean Energy And Climate Legislation Now.” (Kathleen McGinty, Op-Ed, “Clean Energy Must Be On US Priority List,” The Patriot-News, 10/4/09)
Cap-and-Trade Could Destroy Pennsylvania 66,000 jobs and significantly drive up energy costs. “If the Waxman-Markey bill [cap-and-trade] were to pass, Pennsylvania is looking at a bleak scenario by 2020: a net loss of as many as 66,000 jobs, a sizeable hike in the electric bills of residential customers, an increase in natural gas prices, and significant downward pressure on our gross state product.” (Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Letter to the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation, 5/7/09)
The Average Pennsylvanian Would Pay $1,178 More For Electricity Per Year, And $1.35 More Per Gallon For Gasoline. “Consumers would be hit hard. Between 2012 (when the restrictions first apply) and 2035 (the last year of this analysis), the prices of electricity and gasoline will rise sharply when compared to prices in a world without cap and trade. By 2035, Americans living in the state of Pennsylvania will see their electricity prices rise by $1,178.73 and their gasoline prices rise by $1.35 per gallon solely because of Waxman-Markey.” (David W. Kreutzer, Karen Campbell, William W. Beach, Ben Lieberman and Nicolas Loris, “Impact Of The Waxman-Markey Climate Change Legislation On Pennsylvania,” The Heritage Foundation, Web Memo #2585-PA, 8/19/09)
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