(WHTM) — Republican lawmakers are spending a lot of energy on energy.

The Senate passed a bill that would pull Pennsylvania out of the Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which taxes carbon producers. They insist it scares the industry away.

"We're seeing power plant closures, but we're not seeing new re-investment that we are seeing in Ohio, in West Virginia," said Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R).

Governor Josh Shapiro's lightening plan promises to cut red tape and increase grants to entice energy producers to open up shop, it would also incentivize clean energy and tax carbon.

"I want to generate more energy in Pennsylvania," said Governor Shapiro. "I want to drive down costs in Pennsylvania. I want more renewables to be able to be used to protect our planet and get people safe, reliable, affordable energy."

"That's just a non-starter," said Minority Leader Jesse Topper (R).

GOP leaders want more drilling, less taxes, and less regulation. They wonder if Pennsylvania pollution is significant, at all.

"I think we have to recognize, too, that our role as a Commonwealth in the big picture of the globe relative to the emitting of carbon is really insignificant," said Pittman.

So, he argues, why tax them?

"All for the sake of emitting less carbon, while other nations like India and China are clearly doing so with abandon makes no sense," said Pittman.

Julia Kortrey of the environmental group Evergreen Action says a diverse power grid is more reliable and ultimately cheaper for ratepayers. As for China and India?

"The United States doesn't lower its standards and Pennsylvania shouldn't," said Kortrey. "I don't understand why we would think that lowering our air quality, our climate pollution, our energy aspirations, those should not be lower just because another country is a worse actor."

Kortrey asserts that more energy needs to be exerted by lawmakers and the Governor to solve Pennsylvania's looming power problem.

"Inaction here is going to just drive up prices and drive down generation," said Shapiro.