HARRISBURG (AP) – A court says PA can not enforce a regulation to make power plant owners pay for their greenhouse gas emissions. The Commonwealth Court ruling is another setback for the centerpiece of former Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight global warming. The court temporarily blocked it last year, and the new ruling makes that decision permanent. The plan would’ve made PA the first major fossil fuel-producing state to adopt a carbon-pricing program. The regulation authorized PA to join the multi-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which imposes a price and declining cap on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. The court agreed with Republican lawmakers and coal-related interests that the plan amounted to a tax that would require legislative approval. It would be up to Gov. Josh Shapiro to decide whether to appeal.
