Gov. Tom Wolf signed an historic executive order in October directing the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a standard that is compatible with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a collaboration of ten northeastern states that is designed to lower carbon pollution from the power sector.

That order followed Gov. Wolf’s commitment to reducing the state’s climate pollution by 26 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by mid-century, compared to 2005 levels.

Pennsylvania has the fifth dirtiest power sector in the nation, and the power plants operating in the state emit more carbon pollution than all the other power plants in the ten northeastern states in RGGI combined. Pennsylvania can move forward quickly with a market-based protective standard to address carbon pollution early in 2020, ensuring that a proposed rule is presented to the Environmental Quality Board for review at its May 2020 meeting and then opening it for public comment so all Pennsylvanians can weigh in.

Here are three reasons Pennsylvania must move ahead with Gov. Wolf’s historic move to limit carbon pollution.

1. Pennsylvania has a significant opportunity to make cost-effective carbon pollution reductions

While carbon pollution from Pennsylvania’s power sector has declined in recent years, driven primarily by market trends including cheap natural gas prices, it is projected to start increasing again soon. Several recent, expert analyses have shown that by the mid-2020s, Pennsylvania’s power sector carbon pollution could be more than 30 percent higher than current levels.

Linking with RGGI and ensuring all electric power used in Pennsylvania is covered under a pollution cap could lower carbon pollution by more than 35 percent and produce roughly $200 million in net savings for Pennsylvania in 2030, with cost savings coming from reduced need to build new power plants and from declining fuel costs. These pollution reductions and costs savings are driven in part by more of the existing nuclear fleet remaining in operation.

By driving investments in energy efficiency, RGGI has already reduced consumer energy bills – the average residential electricity bill in RGGI states will be 35 percent lower in 2031 – and produced enormous public health benefits. RGGI has helped save hundreds of lives, prevented thousands of asthma attacks, created 44,000 job-years, and saved billions of dollars in health-related economic costs. These potential benefits are especially meaningful in Pennsylvania, which has the highest percentage of premature deaths caused by air pollution in the nation and could see collateral benefits in reductions of soot, smog and toxic pollution by implementing a program like RGGI.

2. Lower carbon emissions equal greater cost savings for Pennsylvanians while spurring renewable energy development

More ambitious carbon pollution limits can incent new clean energy builds while retaining all of the state’s existing nuclear fleet – all at lower system costs. This can increase solar capacity in Pennsylvania by more than 10 times, leading to an increase in renewable generation of more than 130 percent in 2030. But we could see tangible results even quicker: A 2019 report found that limiting carbon pollution and linking with RGGI could generate up to 25 percent more wind and solar generation in Pennsylvania by 2026 compared to business-as-usual scenarios.

A program like RGGI offers promise to expand Pennsylvania’s 90,000-strong clean energy jobs economy and competitively position the Commonwealth to be a national leader in the clean economy. Indeed, the clean energy sector in Pennsylvania is growing five times faster than the state’s overall employment growth rate. Additionally, analysis shows that under RGGI, Pennsylvania can maintain and even increase its role as a net energy exporter from current levels due in part to the substantial energy resources the state has to offer the region.

3. Public support for concrete climate policy is sky-high in Pennsylvania

There is strong support in Pennsylvania for moving forward to reduce carbon pollution. A poll conducted by EDF Action earlier this year found that 79 percent of Pennsylvania voters support regulations to reduce carbon pollution, including 66 percent of state Republicans polled.

Major Pennsylvania power companies, including Exelon and FirstEnergy, applauded Governor Wolf’s executive order. Ceres, an organization that works with investors and major companies, also praised the move, noting the economic opportunity a program like RGGI could offer for Pennsylvania.

It is urgent that we address climate change. That means it is critical for Pennsylvania to move forward without delay, and put in place an ambitious program to secure carbon pollution reductions and lock in economic and public health benefits at the lowest cost.

We respectfully urge Gov. Wolf to develop a proposed rule to submit to the DEP’s Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee at its April meeting and to the Environmental Quality Board at its May meeting to make urgently needed progress via concrete action on the climate crisis in Pennsylvania.

Mandy Warner is senior policy manager of the Environmental Defense Fund.