Press Release

Governor Shapiro’s PJM Announcement is a Distraction from His Own Costly Energy Policies
Harrisburg, Pa., January 28, 2025 – Today, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced his administration resolved its recent complaint against PJM Interconnection.
Rather than pursue PR stunts like this, the Commonwealth Foundation has called on Shapiro to champion energy policies that prioritize affordability and reliability. Instead, Shapiro continues to champion the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Act (PACER), and the Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS), which threaten to cause energy prices to skyrocket for Pennsylvania families and businesses.
In response to the announcement, Commonwealth Foundation Chief Policy Officer Nathan Benefield issued the following statement:
“Gov. Shapiro’s latest announcement is nothing more than a red herring to distract from his own policies that have sent electricity rates skyrocketing in Pennsylvania. If he were committed to reducing energy costs for families, Shapiro would abandon his lawsuit over RGGI, an unconstitutional energy tax that will increase electric rates by 30 percent. Shapiro should also drop his misguided legislative proposals PACER and PRESS, that likewise would raise consumer costs. Shapiro should spend less time congratulating himself and instead deliver on his unfulfilled campaign promises to work with the legislature to reduce the burden on families and businesses.”
Commonwealth Foundation Senior Manager of Energy Policy André Béliveau added the following:
“Lawsuits and PR stunts are not a substitute for Josh Shapiro’s failure to lead on a vision and plan to harness Pennsylvania’s energy abundance and lower energy costs for consumers. Instead, he’s hiding behind an alphabet soup of acronyms to distract Pennsylvanians from his pursuit of a “green new deal” agenda that was soundly rejected at the ballot box less than three months ago. For years, Shapiro has failed to stand up for Pennsylvanians as measures were enacted like Biden’s failed Inflation Reduction Act, which did nothing to address inflation but left taxpayers and consumers with the bill for subsidizing unaffordable, unreliable energy. Shapiro has advanced an agenda that will only compound these affordability and reliability issues.”
Commonwealth Foundation energy policy experts are available for further comment. For more on these policies, please view the resources below.
Fact Sheet: RGGI Is a Destructive Policy for Pennsylvania
Fact Sheet: PACER & PRESS Analysis
A New Vision for Energy: Pennsylvania Leading the Way for American Energy Security and Prosperity
###
The Commonwealth Foundation turns free-market ideas into public policies, fostering prosperity for all Pennsylvanians.