News & Brews August 8, 2025
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‘If only RGGI states could do what Pa. already does’
PittsburghWorks notes that last month, states making up the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) announced a “a new schedule that will force a 60% reduction in carbon emissions from their current level over the next 12 years.” Is this an argument for Pa. to join RGGI, as Gov. Josh Shapiro is in court to force? Actually, no. Because in fact, “The Commonwealth produces more carbon-free electricity, and more cheaply, than any of the 10 states that now make up RGGI. And Pennsylvania’s average electricity price is below the national average according to the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Meanwhile, every RGGI state is above the national average, with some nearly twice as high.”
10 facts about Big Labor
Here’s an interesting Friday read for you from the Capital Research Center. From the ties between organized labor and the political Left to unions’ attempts to force membership to how government unions harm the public good, CRC argues it “would be a grave mistake” not to pay attention to organized labor.
(Formerly) state-funded media meets reality
The Post-Gazette has a story on how media outlets that previously received funding from the federal government are meeting the reality of having to raise their own revenue. Get this, private donations at two Pittsburgh stations reached a record one-day high “after they launched a campaign to help make up for the more than $700,000 in annual federal support” that they anticipate losing. Imagine that. Listener-supported! Meanwhile, another station is looking to sell its current facility, which “is just too large.” Why didn’t they sell it before? Maybe because taxpayer dollars were propping up the “just too large” facility.
Online grocery ordering for wine & RTD beverages?
Despite the dawn of the AI era, Pennsylvania remains stuck in prohibition-era liquor laws. Now, Republican state Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (Berks & Montgomery counties) plans to introduce legislation “to allow online grocery businesses and delivery platforms to provide local delivery of wine and ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages directly to consumers.” Even though online grocery shopping is a huge industry, “unlike in many other states, Pennsylvania law currently prohibits the delivery of wine and RTDs through these platforms, despite increasing consumer demand,” Pennycuick’s co-sponsorship memo says. Her proposal seems reasonable, right? Who could be opposed? Oh, that’s right: The union that benefits financially from our current system. Read more here.
Meeting on TMI reopening brings range of opinions
This week, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission held another public meeting on the reopening of Three Mile Island. The Center Square reports that the virtual meeting, which drew about 130 participants, brought a range of opinions. There was “a mix of those eager to add more carbon-neutral energy sources to the grid and those concerned about the potential human health and environmental consequences of nuclear power.”