For far too long, families across Pennsylvania have been forced to make impossible choices. From the Mon Valley to the Delaware River, our neighbors are struggling under the weight of skyrocketing electricity bills while simultaneously facing the renewed threat of increased pollution.<\/p>\n
Governor Josh Shapiro used his annual budget address earlier this month to discuss\u00a0 the affordability crisis, offering a vision that would\u00a0 lower costs at a moment when the federal government, under Donald Trump, is driving prices up even higher.<\/p>\n
His continued commitment to the Solar for Schools program is an example of common-sense path toward a cleaner, more resilient commonwealth, particularly when paired with protecting working class families from utility shutoffs in the face of skyrocketing energy bills.<\/p>\n
Perhaps most urgently, the governor\u2019s address named the dysfunction within our energy grid. His solution, like the Lightning Plan to modernize the grid and boost clean electricity are necessary, overdue steps toward long-term rate relief. He also acknowledged\u00a0 the emerging challenge of data centers, for the first time proposing principles that would require these massive energy consumers to bring their own power to the grid. This helps ensure that big tech doesn\u2019t boost their profits on\u00a0 the backs of working families who are already struggling to pay their mortgages.<\/p>\n
However, as we have seen too often in Harrisburg, a vision is not a policy, and a proposal is not progress until it is signed into law. For too long, these initiatives have languished in the halls of the Capitol while the people they are meant to help continue to pay the price.<\/p>\n
Bucks County Is the Newest Frontier in the Data Center Boom. Buyer Beware | Harrisburg must pass protections designed to rein in skyrocketing electricity costs & mitigate the impact of these behemoth structures on environment & local communities, writes @conservationpa.bsky.social’s Molly Parzen.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Bucks County Beacon (@buckscountybeacon.com)<\/a> 2026-01-07T11:57:00.794Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The stakes have never been higher. At the federal level, Donald Trump\u2019s policies are actively jacking up energy prices while rolling back the rules that keep our environment safe. Pennsylvania must lead the counter-offensive against these rollbacks, yet we are currently fighting with one hand tied behind our back.<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s state budget included a devastating, anti-environment trade off that blocked our participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)<\/a> \u2014 the single most powerful tool we had to lower energy costs and hold polluters accountable.<\/p>\n