Northeast

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by 19% from 2005-2021. Pennsylvania is known for its abundant fossil fuel resources, particularly natural gas and coal, making it the second largest net-supplier of energy to other states. Renewable energy generated nearly 4% of the state’s electricity in 2022, with more than 40% coming from wind energy.
GHG Reduction Targets
All targets relative to 2005 levels
2025 :

26%

2050 :

80%

Governor
Josh Shapiro (Democrat)
House Party
Democratic Majority
Senate Party
Republican Majority
Legislative session
1/2/24 - 11/30/24
US Climate Alliance Status
Member

22

Policies Enacted or In Progress
across 6 policy areas

40

Policy Opportunities
across 6 policy areas

Northeast

9 states
This map shows the occurrence of climate policies passed at the state-level. Higher numbers represent more climate policies enacted.

Progress by Policy Area

  • Enacted
  • In-progress
  • Partially Enacted
  • Not Enacted
Glossary of Terms
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections in Pennsylvania

Created in partnership with
Filters
Status Policy Policy Area Policy Category YR Enacted
Enacted
Empty column

26% by 2025 | 80% by 2050

Relative to 2005 levels

Establishing Policies
Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2019
Enacted
Empty column

Pennsylvania Climate Action Plan

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2021
Enacted
Empty column

The 2005-2021 Greenhouse Inventory was published in June 2024.

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2024
Not Enacted
Empty column

Climate bureaucracy consists of dedicated climate offices and staff, interagency working groups, task forces, and other bodies made up of government staff. These bodies are often responsible for writing a state's climate plan and implementing the policies and strategies identified to meet its climate targets.

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance
Enacted
Empty column

Climate Change Advisory Committee

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2008
Enacted
Empty column

"Environmental justice areas" are the 20% highest scoring census tracts from PennEnviroScreen, which includes components related to pollution burden, such as environmental exposures and effects, and population characteristics, such as indicators related to health outcomes and socioeconomic factors.

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity 2018
Enacted
Empty column

PennEnviroScreen

Environmental Justice Areas Viewer

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity 2023
Not Enacted
Empty column

Environmental justice (EJ) community investment requirements help ensure communities most impacted by environmental burdens are benefitting equitably from public programs by requiring a certain percentage of funds and/or benefits from other policies are allocated to EJ communities.

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity
Enacted
Empty column

PA DEP – Office of Environmental Justice

Environmental Justice Interagency Council

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity 2021
Enacted
Empty column

Environmental Justice Advisory Board

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity 2021
Not Enacted
Empty column

Cumulative impact assessments determine the health and environmental impacts of renewing or granting a permit for certain pollution-generating facilities in environmental justice communities. Increased pollution burdens in communities may result in the permit application being denied.

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition plans are documents that outline policies and recommendations aimed at supporting communities, workers, and industries affected by the transition away from fossil fuels. The plans often focus on workforce development and retraining, job creation, and economic diversification.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition offices and staff assist workers and communities transitioning away from fossil fuel extraction and use, typically through retraining programs and support with relocation and economic diversification. Offices and staff also coordinate with other state agencies to effectively design policy to achieve a just transition.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition advisory bodies write or advise on a state's just transition plan or report, and make recommendations on ways to support affected workers, communities, and industries. The bodies can consist of all non-government members, or be a mix of government and non-government members.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition funds support initiatives and investments aimed at facilitating the equitable transition of workers and communities affected by shifts in industries or policies that transition from fossil fuels.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Not Enacted
Empty column

Green banks are public, quasi-public, or non-profit entities that use innovative financing to invest in climate solutions and attract private capital across various economic sectors.

Cross-Sector
Climate Finance
Not Enacted
Empty column

Carbon pollution pricing establishes a pollution fee or cap-and-trade program on the greenhouse gas emissions associated with each sector/source of emissions within the state. Programs typically cover the electricity, buildings, transportation, and/or industrial sectors.

Cross-Sector
Carbon Valuation
Not Enacted
Empty column

The social cost of carbon is a monetary estimate of the damage of each ton of greenhouse gases emitted. The social cost of carbon is used to quantify and monetize climate damages, representing the net economic cost of climate pollution to society.

Cross-Sector
Carbon Valuation
Enacted
Empty column

18% renewable energy by 2020-2021

Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets 2004
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electricity greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets are set by a state to limit GHG emissions in the electricity sector. These targets aim to reduce emissions by different amounts over time, often expressed as percentage relative to a baseline year.

Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets
Not Enacted
Empty column

Clean energy plans are documents that outline the policies and strategies states can implement to meet clean energy targets. Draft plans are often published first, and after a period of public comments and revisions, a final plan is released.

Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets
Partially Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
1/5
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Partially Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
not-enacted
10/11
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Partially Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
not-enacted
enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
enacted
2/6
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Not Enacted
Empty column

Community choice aggregation allows local governments to procure power on behalf of their residents, businesses, and municipal accounts from an alternative supplier while still receiving transmission and distribution service from their existing utility provider.

Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Not Enacted
Empty column

Energy storage targets establish procurement targets for energy storage systems by a certain date, often with interim targets. Targets can vary from broad megawatt (MW) requirements to more specific mandates that focus on the adoption of certain storage technologies.

Electricity
Transmission, Distribution, and Energy Storage
Enacted
Empty column

Pennsylvania received a D grade from Freeing the Grid.

Electricity
Transmission, Distribution, and Energy Storage 2023
Not Enacted
Empty column

Coal phaseouts establish a target year by which states must end coal-fired power generation.

Electricity
Coal Retirement
Not Enacted
Empty column

Coal securitization is a financing tool that allows utility companies to refinance debt they issued to build coal plants and close the facilities early without taking a financial hit or passing costs on to ratepayers.

Electricity
Coal Retirement
Enacted
Empty column

The statewide energy code for residential construction is 2018 IECC.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Codes 2021
Enacted
Empty column

The statewide energy code is 2018 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1-2016

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Codes 2021
Not Enacted
Empty column

Stretch building energy codes are an optional, more stringent building code established by the state that local jurisdictions can adopt to require that newly constructed buildings are more efficient than the baseline state codes.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Codes
Not Enacted
Empty column

Appliance standards set minimum energy and water conservation requirements for appliances and equipment.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Standards
Not Enacted
Empty column

Building performance standards establish energy and/or greenhouse gas performance targets for existing buildings in a state. These targets increase in stringency over time, leading to efficiency improvements in buildings to conserve energy and reduce emissions.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Standards
Not Enacted
Empty column

Clean heat standards establish a performance standard requiring heat providers to deliver a gradually-increasing percentage of low-emission heating services to customers.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Standards
Enacted
Empty column

Electric utilities are required to achieve a statewide energy savings target for 2021-2016 that is equivalent to 3.1% of 2009-2010 statewide energy sales. Energy savings targets vary by utility, ranging from 2.4% to 3.5%.

Gas utilities are not subject to an EERS.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Efficiency 2020
Enacted
Empty column

Pennsylvania has enacted commercial PACE-enabling legislation and has active programs.

Establishing Policies
Buildings and Efficiency
Building Efficiency 2018
Partially Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
not-enacted
enacted
enacted
not-enacted
2/4
Buildings and Efficiency
Building Efficiency
Not Enacted
Empty column

All-electric buildings policies require new buildings to be constructed with all-electric heating, cooling, and cooking systems to transition away from fossil-fuel use in buildings.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Electrification
Enacted
Empty column

Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program

Transportation
Light-Duty Vehicles 2008
Not Enacted
Empty column

Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandates, also known as "clean car standards," require automakers to produce and sell a certain percentage of zero-emission light-duty vehicles each model year based on total new vehicle sales. The most stringent ZEV mandates require 100% of new vehicle sales to be electric by 2035 and are known as "Advanced Clean Cars II".

Transportation
Light-Duty Vehicles
Enacted
Empty column

The Alternative Fuel Vehicle Rebate program offers rebates for new and pre-owned EVs: up to $2,000 for battery EVs, $1,500 for plug-in hybrid EVs, and $500 for electric motorcycles, with an additional $1,000 rebate for low-income applicants.

Transportation
Light-Duty Vehicles
Not Enacted
Empty column

Low NOx Omnibus Rules establish stringent tailpipe emission standards for heavy duty vehicles, updated testing procedures, and technology-neutral compliance mechanisms to reduce nitrous oxide (NOx) pollution. The regulation must be adopted first by California, and other states may adopt the regulation under the federal Clean Air Act.

Transportation
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
Not Enacted
Empty column

Medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) zero-emission vehicle mandates, also known as "Advanced Clean Trucks", require automakers to produce and sell a certain number of zero-emission MHD vehicles to fulfill a quota based on a percentage of total sales in states.

Transportation
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
Not Enacted
Empty column

Medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) electric vehicle rebates consist of programs and policies that offer rebates to make MHD electric vehicles more affordable to increase their adoption in a state.

Transportation
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
Enacted
Empty column

State agencies must replace 25% of passenger car fleet with EVs and PHEVs by 2025

Establishing Policies
Transportation
Lead by Example 2019
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electric bus procurement targets require that a certain percentage or number of school buses and/or transit buses purchased or leased by the state, transit authorities, and/or school districts must be electric or zero-emissions.

Transportation
Lead by Example
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure requirements establish mandates for the installation of EV charging infrastructure in new construction or developments, such as residential or commercial buildings, and public parking lots.

Transportation
EV Charging Infrastructure
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure rebates offer rebates to make the purchase and/or installation costs of EV charging infrastructure more affordable.

Transportation
EV Charging Infrastructure
Enacted
Empty column

Pennsylvania Electric Vehicle Roadmap

Transportation
Transportation Plans and Targets 2019
Not Enacted
Empty column

Transportation greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets are set by a state to limit emissions in the transportation sector. These targets aim to reduce emissions by specific amounts over time, often expressed as a percentage reduction from a baseline year.

Transportation
Transportation Plans and Targets
Not Enacted
Empty column

A low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) is a market-based mechanism to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels and account for the fuel's life cycle greenhouse gas emissions.

Transportation
Transportation Plans and Targets
Enacted
Empty column

Pennsylvania is ranked 12th out of 50 in the 2022 Bicycle Friendly State rankings by the League of American Bicyclists.

Policy Components
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
5/5
Transportation
Public and Active Transportation
Not Enacted
Empty column

Buy clean requirements mandate or incentivize the use of low-carbon construction materials, such as concrete and steel, in public projects to address embodied carbon.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Industrial Decarbonization
Not Enacted
Empty column

Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) regulations include phasedown commitments, rulemakings, disclosure requirements, bans, or other measures that reduce HFC usage and emissions.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
F-gas Regulations
Not Enacted
Empty column

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) regulations include phasedown commitments, reporting requirements, bans, or other measures that reduce SF6 usage and emissions.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
F-gas Regulations
Enacted
Empty column

Operators must adhere to reasonably available control technology (RACT) requirements and RACT emission limitations for conventional oil and natural gas sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Establishing Policies
Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Oil and Gas Regulations 2022
Not Enacted
Empty column

Fracking bans prohibit the practice of hydraulic fracking for the production of oil and/or natural gas by a certain year. Legislation often requires an environmental agency or department to promulgate regulations.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Oil and Gas Regulations
Not Enacted
Empty column

Landfill methane regulations include rulemakings, emissions monitoring, emissions control, or other measures that reduce methane emissions from decaying organic waste in landfills.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Waste Management
Not Enacted
Empty column

Food waste bans and targets include policies that prohibit certain entities that generate specified amounts of food waste (typically commercial businesses and larger institutions) from sending this waste to landfills. Targets aim to reduce total food waste by a certain percentage each target year.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Waste Management
Enacted
Empty column

The Conservation Excellence Grant Program provides grants, loans, and tax credits for soil management practices, including soil health measures.

The Agriculture-Linked low Interest Loan (AgriLink) Program provides low-interest loans to implement best management practices (BMPs), including soil health measures.

Natural and Working Lands
Agriculture 2019
Enacted
Empty column

The Conservation Excellence Grant Program provides financial and technical assistance to implement soil management practices, including soil health measures.

Natural and Working Lands
Agriculture 2019

The State Climate Policy Dashboard tracks only passed policies and does not include bills currently proposed in legislative sessions. The website is intended to illustrate the current status of policies for each state, as well as key resources and model states for each policy.

Much of the information contained in this database is derived from the public domain, with links to resources provided. The information provided is made available solely for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Click here for full Terms of Use.

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