Letters to the Editor | Dec. 27, 2023

Thank you for the recent op-ed on how the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative can benefit Pennsylvanians. While the future of the state’s RGGI membership is in limbo in court, we are missing out on a reduction of carbon dioxide by millions of tons, the generation of 30,000 new jobs, and an additional $2 billion to our economy. Not only has RGGI been successful elsewhere already, but it is also aligned with the cap-and-invest recommendation put forth by Gov. Josh Shapiro’s RGGI working group.

With RGGI, charging large electric producers for the carbon they put into the atmosphere will encourage efficiency while the fees collected can be invested in making Pennsylvania cleaner and greener. As we look back on 2023 — the hottest year on record — and forward to a Philadelphia where air-conditioners are not a “nice to have” but a survival essential, it is more important than ever to act. A shortcut to RGGI membership could be achieved by the state legislature passing an authorization bill, thus making the fracking interests’ lawsuit holding up our membership irrelevant. Pennsylvanians should call on their state representatives to take a clear stand and pass the needed legislation expeditiously.

Hilary Naiberk, Philadelphia

A recent op-ed would have you believe that an $800 million carbon tax on two-thirds of all electricity generation will “supercharge Pa.’s economy, especially for small businesses,” yet while the piece extols small businesses as “the lifeblood of the American economy” and employing “nearly half of the private workforce” in the state, it rehashes long-rebutted talking points supporting the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

The writers applaud Gov. Josh Shapiro’s decision to appeal the strong, bipartisan rejection of the tax by Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court. Understandably, they fail to mention that then-Attorney General Shapiro refused to defend then-Gov. Tom Wolf’s RGGI carbon tax. Now, disingenuously, Shapiro claims he was informed by his advisers to appeal the decision to protect future rule-making authority. He now owns RGGI and the continued impacts its mere threat has had on workers and families.

As state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing 13,000 Pennsylvania small businesses, I can confirm that small businesses do not support RGGI. Our group filed an amicus brief on the issue and balloted our members. Only 11% of our 13,000 members support, while over 75% fiercely oppose, RGGI. As the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office reported, virtually all of the $800 million RGGI carbon tax will be passed on to residential, commercial, and industrial customers, and small business and residential customers will pay nearly 50% more of that increase. It’s simple economics, honestly, something that climate elites rarely understand. Simply put, small businesses oppose RGGI, and we will hold Gov. Shapiro accountable on the campaign trail for claiming he wouldn’t insert himself into the case.

Greg Moreland, Pennsylvania state director, National Federation of Independent Business

On Dec. 23, there were multiple pro-Palestinian actions around Philadelphia, including a large Families for Ceasefire caroling event at the Macy’s Light Show. I attended this action with my husband and two young children. As a Philly native, I’ve gone to the Macy’s show since it was Wanamaker’s. It was moving to witness more than 100 adults and children “meet at the eagle” to hold signs, drop banners, and sing carols calling attention to Israel’s killing of Palestinians. Sadly, this powerful event received no Inquirer coverage.

Instead, there was an article on the arrest of two people “at a pro-Palestinian march during the Christmas shopping rush,” which narrowly focused on police conflict. It also mentioned a previous protest that stopped outside Goldie without adding that the restaurant’s management raised money for the Israeli military and fired pro-Palestinian employees. This reporting misses the bigger picture.

Every day, people throughout Philadelphia are organizing rallies, marches, sit-ins, lectures, letter-writing campaigns, and more. These diverse groups are part of a growing coalition that is multiethnic, intergenerational, and multi-faith. The real story is that a rising movement of Philadelphians is saying no to U.S. support for Israel’s killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Miriam Goldberg, Philadelphia

I am a Jew, a descendant of Holocaust survivors, and have family in Israel. Yet during a recent pro-Palestine rally at the University of Pennsylvania, my legs wouldn’t move me to the Israel supporters who clustered nearby. I felt sandwiched between my reputation at a university I just transferred to and expressing support for my beliefs. With each speaker, protesters would call for uprising and revolution, leading to cheers from the crowd. Then, one of the speakers passionately cried, “Of course, we condemn the actions of the terrorist group Hamas on Oct. 7!” This was the only remark that was met not with cheers, but stark silence.

Hamas has stolen hundreds of millions of dollars in international aid from its own people, burned and beheaded babies, murdered the elderly, and raped women. The Hamas charter states that Israel must be destroyed and Jews killed. Yet on Penn’s campus, college students felt uncomfortable condemning their actions. And Penn’s administration felt uncomfortable saying they were wrong. Suddenly, the “righteous” calls for Palestinian freedom felt hollow, and I moved swiftly next to the Israel supporters.

These student protesters surely didn’t set out to make Jewish students feel unwelcome on campus. But many have become so passionate in their righteous defense of Gaza that they have become openly hateful of Jews. Abusing the protection of free speech, the protests and rhetoric surrounding the issue have become so outwardly hateful that Jews are internalizing a fear of simply existing.

Growing up, my grandmother recounted one of her proudest days as being able to wear her Jewish Star without fear of prejudice after the Israeli War of Independence. Yet Penn, a place for learning and self-exploration, has regressed to an environment where so many Stars of David are left collecting dust on bedside tables. This is unacceptable in a place of higher education.

Noah Gold, Philadelphia

Billionaire Penn donors Marc Rowan and Ronald Lauder advocated for the ouster of university president Liz Magill, citing antisemitism. Yet they are now prominently supporting a MAGA Republican, U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, in her North Carolina reelection campaign. Foxx has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, is against legal abortion without any exceptions, and has opposed LGBTQ civil rights for years. Perhaps Rowan and Lauder were more motivated by conservative ideology than simple concern for antisemitism, since Jewish women and Jewish gays and lesbians are not included in their supposed support for equality.

Ann Dixon, Havertown

I find it interesting that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to not immediately hear the case on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted for his actions (and intentional inaction) on Jan. 6, 2021, as well as other actions taken after he left office, as requested by special counsel Jack Smith. As Chris Krebs, Bill Barr, Pat Cipollone, Mark Meadows, and many others told Trump, the 2020 election was not stolen. And on Jan. 6, Trump was clearly acting in his role as a candidate rather than performing any presidential duties. Accordingly, he should clearly not have presidential immunity for his actions on that day (or any days after he left office). I hope the justices occasionally look toward the front entrance to the Supreme Court Building — where it says, “Equal justice under law” — and take that to heart.

Kent Kingan, Malvern

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