HARRISBURG (AP) – Justices on the PA Supreme Court are indicating that they’re likely to have split opinions on whether a governor can force power plant owners to pay for their greenhouse gas emissions. Hanging in the balance is PA’s effort to become the first major fossil fuel-producing state to adopt carbon pricing. Yesterday, the state’s highest court began considering whether former Gov. Tom Wolf unconstitutionally usurped the state Legislature’s authority to approve any form of taxation. Republican Justice Kevin Brobson signaled a number of objections to the plan. Democrat justices questioned assertions by a lawyer for Republican senators that the carbon-pricing plan is an unconstitutional tax. The issue is a political minefield for Gov. Josh Shapiro, Wolf’s successor and a fellow Democrat, who was endorsed by labor unions that are fighting the plan.
