At a state budget hearing before the House Appropriations Committee last week, PUC Chairman DeFrank said it’s “fair to say” that Pennsylvanians are going to pay more for electricity, partly because neighboring states are aggressively instituting so-called “clean energy” programs while relying on Pennsylvania to make up the difference when wind and solar fall short. He said Governor Shapiro’s ongoing pursuit of more state-produced energy diversity to replace the reforms of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative could further drive up your bill. However, he hopes it will stabilize long-term.
Lawmakers and DeFrank talked about the possibility of rolling blackouts and skyrocketing electricity bills, with gas and coal-fired power plants being retired before new technology is able to replace them and while new projects sit in regulation limbo.
Representative Gene Yaw said he believes gas-fueled electricity generation is the best path forward but it would be “the greatest thing ever” if the industry could learn how to clean up coal-fired plants to reduce emissions and keep them operating.
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