News & Brews April 6, 2022
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Commonwealth Court blocks RGGI
Yesterday, in a one-line, unsigned order, the Commonwealth Court blocked publication of the regulation that would put Pennsylvania into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The court halted the publication “pending further order of the court.” Gov. Wolf has been attempting to force Pennsylvania into RGGI via regulation, as he’s been unable to win approval from lawmakers to join the carbon tax plan. Lawmakers, however, argue that Wolf does not have the authority to issue this regulation and that joining RGGI requires legislative approval.
Op-Ed: ‘Prosecutor wanted — no experience necessary in PA?’
Former prosecutor and district attorney Tom Hogan has an op-ed in RealClear Politicsobserving how Attorney General Josh Shapiro “offers sobering proof of the dangers of putting unqualified but politically ambitious people in charge of life-or-death decisions.” Hogan writes that at one time, “[p]rosecutors were expected to hone their craft for years in junior positions, trying cases before trying to run the show. But now, prosecutors’ offices in cities as large as San Francisco and Philadelphia are run by people with no experience.” And the results are concerning, to say the least. Read his piece here.
Senate committee hears testimony on 3rd-party election grants
Yesterday, the Senate State Government Committee heard testimony both for and against private, third-party funding for elections. On the one hand, testifiers spoke of their need for additional funding to carry out elections duties. On the other hand, concerns were raised that in 2020, millions of dollars in private election grants were funneled to Democrat-leaning counties by partisan actors. One of the main testifiers, investigative journalist Todd Shepherd, detailed the partisan ties of these election grants. Here are links to Todd’s testimony and presentation.
House hearing today on primary election preparations
The House State Government Committee, chaired by Rep. Seth Grove (York County), will hold a hearing this morning at 10am to review preparations for the primary election with elections officials. The hearing will be live-streamed at RepGrove.com.