For a president who came into office on a promise to lower prices, Donald Trump is trying awfully hard to keep energy prices high for Pennsylvania’s working families and local businesses.
Consumers across Pennsylvania, and the nation, are seeing electricity rates spike. New investments in computing technology, particularly artificial intelligence, are causing an unprecedented increase in energy demand.
The solution comes right out of a freshman Economics 101 class. When faced with rising demand, we need more energy to keep prices low.
Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are cheaper than dirty fossil fuels. So the fastest way to lower energy costs isn’t just to increase the amount of electricity we’re generating, it’s to bring more clean energy sources online.
Sounds simple, right?
That’s what the federal government was in the middle of doing before Trump, Elon Musk and their billionaire friends took over.
Thanks to the landmark federal climate law passed two years ago, billions of dollars of investment were pouring into states to help lower energy costs for working families and local businesses.
These programs were making it easier for low-income families to make the switch to cheaper solar energy. They also helped families lower their energy consumption through weatherization and improved energy efficiency and helped make energy efficient electric appliances and heat pumps more affordable.
These programs weren’t just good for the planet — they’re responsible for delivering real savings to working families, making our state more economically competitive and creating union jobs.
Yet money from these programs is currently being held hostage by Trump to benefit the billionaire oil and gas CEOs who funded his campaign.
They don’t want Pennsylvanians to have lower electricity bills. They want to boost their already record profits by forcing consumers to rely on more expensive oil and natural gas.
Let’s be clear. Trump is breaking decades of legal precedent by unilaterally deciding to keep this funding from reaching Pennsylvania families.
Thankfully, while Trump is trying to keep costs high to pad the pockets of his billionaire friends, Governor Josh Shapiro is stepping up for working families and for our environment.
READ: President Trump’s First Week in Office Leaves Pennsylvania’s Working Families Out in the Cold
He recently filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, asking the courts to intercede on behalf of communities and local businesses by forcing Trump to release the funding that he’s illegally withholding.
At the same time, Shapiro is fighting for Pennsylvania’s fair share of funding to lower harmful methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells, and other programs designed to create union jobs by protecting our clean air and water.
All told, Trump owes Pennsylvanians more than $1 billion that Congress has already approved.
We’re grateful that the governor is taking such a strong stand against a runaway administration. This lawsuit builds on a settlement that he reached with PJM, our regional grid operator, that is also designed to help reduce energy price spikes.
Yet we also know that this move by Trump is only the first step of a comprehensive plan to tear our federal climate policy to shreds.
Right now, Trump is relying on illegal executive orders to halt spending on clean energy.
Soon, those efforts will shift to Congress, where he is working with his right-wing allies to ram a budget bill through that will permanently roll back these federal investments — worsening our climate crisis and locking in higher prices for working families for years to come.
In the coming months, our members of Congress will have to do what Governor Shapiro has already done: stand up for their constituents by protecting programs that deliver lower prices and economic growth for Pennsylvania.
And because Pennsylvania is a swing state, what our congressional delegation does will help set the tone for how lawmakers from across the country react.
We’re approaching a key decision point. Will our elected officials work to further enrich oil and gas billionaires, or will they stand for lower prices for working people?
Pennsylvanians can’t afford for their elected officials to remain on the sidelines. We need bold leadership to fight for lower energy costs.
