Jul. 15, 2021
HARRISBURG — On Tuesday, the Environmental Quality Board (EQB), which is tasked with adopting all Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulations, rubberstamped (by a vote of 15-4) Gov. Tom Wolf’s rogue executive actions to enter Pennsylvania into the job-killing, carbon- emissions-tax-imposing Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Today, in the interest of transparency, House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee (ERE) Majority Chairman Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) publicly released the following list of the 20 members compromising the EQB Board and how they each voted on advancing RGGI:
Governor Appointed EQB Board Members (11 votes)
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EQB Chairperson, Secretary of Environmental Protection Patrick McDonnell (present in person, but does not vote).
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Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam (present, in person and voted Yes).
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Secretary of Community and Economic Development Dennis Davin (present, virtually and voted Yes).
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Secretary of Transportation Yassmin Gramian (present, virtually and voted Yes).
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Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding (present, in person and voted Yes).
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Secretary of Labor & Industry Jennifer Berrier (present, in person and voted Yes).
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PA Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director Timothy Schaeffer (not present, sent alternate Environment Services Division Chief Heather Smiles, in person and voted Yes).
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PA Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans (not present, sent alternate PA Game Commission Geologist Jeffery Painter, in person and voted Yes).
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Public Utility Commission Chairperson Gladys Brown Dutrieuille (present, virtually and voted Yes).
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PA Historical and Museum Commission Executive Director Andrea Lowery (present, virtually and voted Yes).
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Governor’s Office of Planning and Policy Chairperson, Secretary Allison Jones (not present, sent alternate Deputy Secretary Erin Wachter present, in person and voted Yes).
Citizens Advisory Council (5 votes)
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Robert Barkanic (present, in person and voted Yes).
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John Walliser (present, in person and voted Yes).
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Cynthia Carrow (present, virtually and voted Yes).
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James Welty (present, in person and voted No).
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John St. Clair (present, in person and voted No).
Pennsylvania General Assembly (4 votes)
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Representative Daryl Metcalfe (present, in person and voted No).
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Representative Greg Vitali (present, in-person and voted Yes).
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Senator Gene Yaw (present, in person and voted No).
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Senator Carolyn Comitta (present,virtually, and voted Yes).
Metcalfe also issued the following statement regarding Tuesday’s voting meeting:
“Please understand what each EQB members who voted to advance Wolf’s economy-crippling RGGI scheme have done. First, this scheme is unconstitutional and illegal because it creates a tax without legislative approval.
“Second, DEP Secretary McDonnell convened a hybrid in-person/virtual meeting that did not provide access for the public to attend as required under the Sunshine Law. DEP also violated the law by not holding in-person hearings on the regulation to fully engage the affected communities.
Watch the video below to view Chairman Metcalfe’s final comments from Tuesday’s EQB Voting Meeting.
“As one of only four No votes, I raised these issues and several others through a series of six motions.
Surprising absolutely no one, Wolf’s personally stacked and purposely insulated from the public, EQB Minions worked to defeat each motion.
“I admonished them at the end of the meeting that sitting there in suits and dresses, with smiles and some behind computer screens, they were assaulting the Constitution, the law and the People of Pennsylvania!”
Watch Tuesday’s entire EQB Voting Meeting in the video box below.
Representative Daryl Metcalfe
12th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Ty McCauslin
717.772.9979
RepMetcalfe.com / Facebook.com/RepMetcalfe