If you’re feeling a sense of déjà vu when you look at your utility bill or pull up to a gas pump, you aren’t alone. For the second time in four years, global instability is reaching into the pockets of Pennsylvania families and shaking out every spare cent.
First, it was Putin’s invasion of Ukraine that sent shockwaves through the global oil trade. Now, with Donald Trump’s war against Iran driving oil prices above $100 a barrel and pushing American gas prices to nearly $4 per gallon (as of March 24), the message is clear: as long as we remain addicted foreign oil, our economic security is an illusion subject to the whims of foreign dictators, overseas conflicts, and global instability.
While these wars are devastating to countless families in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, we are also seeing a perfect storm of geopolitical chaos and domestic policy failure impacting our economy here at home.
With his foreign policy decisions cutting off global shipping channels, Trump has spent his second term enriching his billionaire oil and gas donors by systematically dismantling the very clean energy investments that would have insulated us from these price shocks. By rolling back the progress made on renewables and prioritizing volatile fossil fuels, the federal government has left us exposed and vulnerable.
READ: Don’t Let Big Oil, Gas Cynically Profit from Putin’s War
Since the start of the administration’s pivot back to fossil-fuel-first policies, electricity costs across the country have surged by 13%. And the results for Pennsylvanians are staggering. Locally, the most recent PJM capacity auction — the process that determines the cost of ensuring we have enough power on the grid — saw prices skyrocket by 800% for the 2025-2026 cycle. For the average Pennsylvania family, this translates to hundreds of dollars in added annual costs just to keep the lights on.
As long as we remain addicted foreign oil, our economic security is an illusion subject to the whims of foreign dictators, overseas conflicts, and global instability.
Congress must do its job and hold the administration accountable for this blatant corporate giveaway, but Pennsylvanians cannot afford to wait for a gridlocked Washington to find its conscience. We need Harrisburg to step up.
And while Trump’s MAGA allies are doubling down on fossil fuels to further enrich his billionaire donors, we know that clean energy is cheaper and can be brought online much more quickly than new oil and gas plants, which won’t arrive in time to address our burgeoning energy crisis.
For too long, meaningful energy policy has stalled in the halls of our state Capitol. While there have been flashes of common sense — like the Solar for Schools program, which Governor Shapiro has proposed to continue with $25 million in his latest budget — the broader movement toward energy independence has been blocked by partisan gamesmanship.
Governor Shapiro’s “Lightning Plan” was designed to be a first step toward lowering costs and creating thousands of union jobs in the clean energy sector. Yet, despite its promise to save ratepayers billions, it has struggled to gain traction in a legislature where Senate Republicans view clean energy as a partisan buzzword rather than an economic opportunity and a national security imperative.
And while Governor Shapiro has taken steps, including his recent lawsuit against PJM to establish a price cap that has already saved Pennsylvanians billions, the current state budget prevented our commonwealth from joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which would have provided billions of dollars to bring clean energy projects online quickly.
READ: The Iran War Is Making the Case for Renewable Energy, Experts Argue
Let’s be clear: Clean energy is no longer just an environmental issue. It is a national security issue and it always has been an economic issue. Every solar panel installed on a Pennsylvania school in Bucks County and every wind turbine spinning in Northeast Pennsylvania is a blow against the economic leverage held by foreign adversaries.
We are currently at the start of budget negotiations in Harrisburg. We have an historic opportunity for our leaders to put Pennsylvania families first. By doubling down on clean, renewable energy, we aren’t just protecting our planet. We are delivering long-term savings that protect our communities from future price shocks.
There are commonsense bills currently on the table that would jumpstart solar development on our warehouse roofs and make clean renewable energy available to families and local businesses through community solar.
We just need the legislature to advance them.
The warning sirens are blaring from the Middle East to our own kitchen tables. It’s time for Harrisburg to heed the call, move past partisan divisions and finally break our addiction to foreign oil and gas. We have the technology, we have the workforce and we have the need. All we need now is the political will to act.
