Consumers will bear the brunt of rising energy costs until their elected officials take steps to alleviate the supply crunch fueled by data center demand, Lehigh Valley politicians said at a news conference this week that called for federal action.<\/p>\n
Federal politicians need to protect funds that assist low-income utility customers and restore green energy incentives that could help expand power generation, Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel and Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk argued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that our congressional representation is interested in helping residents in cities like Allentown get ahead,\u201d Tuerk said Thursday. \u201cWe need them to get practical about how to do that. Yes, we have to build more housing. Yes, we have to find ways to make health care more affordable. But we absolutely have to get intelligent about providing support to our low-income residents to make sure that their energy bills aren\u2019t leading to evictions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maintaining access to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program that gives cash grants to low-income utility customers who need help covering heating bills is crucial, Siegel said.<\/p>\n
The federal government shutdown in the fall delayed the opening of Pennsylvania\u2019s LIHEAP applications by about a month. Siegel called Trump administration proposals to eliminate the program \u201ctemper-tantrum-like politics.\u201d The latest federal spending bills reverse course and add funds to LIHEAP.<\/p>\n
Although the program is fully funded for this winter, federal staff cuts that eliminated the program\u2019s administrative team have consumer advocates worried that grants might not reach customers in a timely manner.<\/p>\n
![\"Lehigh](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770466506_337_tmc-L-Clean-Energy-01-2.jpg\")
Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel speaks during a news conference Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, to call on Rep. Rep. Mackenzie, R-Lehigh, and other congressional leaders to protect clean-energy tax credits and programs and assistance programs for low-income utility customers. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n
According to the LIHEAP Clearinghouse<\/a>, Pennsylvania received more than $229 million in LIHEAP funding for fiscal year 2025. Applicants for heating or winter crisis relief funds are eligible to receive a maximum of $1,000.<\/p>\n In fiscal year 2024, LIHEAP Clearinghouse data show 302,351 Pennsylvania households received heating relief funds with another 86,996 households receiving winter crisis funds and 608 households utilizing weatherization funds.<\/p>\n This fall, U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie co-sponsored a bill<\/a> that would have continued to fund LIHEAP during a government shutdown. The bill did not make it out of committee.<\/p>\n \u201cThat bill is currently sitting in the Appropriations Committee, which he does not serve on,\u201d Mackenzie spokesperson Arnaud Armstrong said via text. \u201cThe schedule for a potential markup will be determined by the Committee.\u201d<\/p>\n Renewable energy funding needed<\/p>\n Justin Grimshaw, assistant business manager for IBEW Local 375, joined Siegel and Tuerk in lamenting the loss of federal support for renewable energy projects that could increase Pennsylvania\u2019s generation capacity as the state searches for ways to meet growing demand.<\/p>\n The federal budget bill passed in July set expiration dates for tax credits that had funded renewable energy technologies and called into question whether or not Lehigh Valley projects such as electric vehicle investments and solar installations would continue to expand.<\/p>\n How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will impact green energy investments in the Lehigh Valley<\/a><\/p>\n Siegel and Grimshaw referenced industry experts\u2019 projections of the impact that budget bill will have on America\u2019s capacity to generate power.<\/p>\n Energy Innovation Policy & Tech LLC<\/a>, a climate policy think tank, estimated that new generation capacity could fall by 300 gigawatts by 2035, calculating that figure is equivalent to taking 150 Hoover Dams worth of power<\/a> out of the nation\u2019s supply.<\/p>\n PJM, the regional grid operator that serves Pennsylvania and 12 other states, has projected future power shortages and named data center development as a primary reason power demand is set to outpace supply.<\/p>\n How data centers are driving up the cost of electricity \u2014 and what grid operators can do<\/a><\/p>\n