PA Gov. Shapiro Continues to Bully PJM Grid to Dump Free Market
Last Friday, the Trump administration officials joined several governors from the 13 states that are part of the PJM Interconnect grid to outline a broad plan they say will ensure customers of the grid will not face skyrocketing electric prices due to new AI data centers getting built in the region (see White House Joins 13 Governors to Gang Up on PJM re Data Centers). Neither the White House nor the governors who attended (including the ringleader, PA Gov. Josh Shapiro) invited PJM to attend their blabfest. PJM didn’t take it lying down. On the same day as the blabfest, PJM released its own plan to add new data centers while controlling rising electricity costs (see PJM Unveils Its Own Plan to Add AI Data Center, Control Costs). We now have competing visions for how best to add new capacity while controlling costs: distort the free market with price controls (Shapiro’s plan) or use the free market to bring costs down (PJM’s plan). Read More “PA Gov. Shapiro Continues to Bully PJM Grid to Dump Free Market”
There are two universal, unavoidable truths of life: (1) death, and (2) Democrats love to tax anything and everything. Pennsylvania Democrats are urging state lawmakers to tax data centers to shield residents from rising energy bills. During a hearing held by PA House Democrats on January 20, so-called experts argued that data centers must “pay their own way” for grid upgrades necessitated by their high demand, rather than passing those costs to households. With grid operator PJM Interconnection warning that surging demand could cause blackouts, Democrats proposed legislation to protect ratepayers from price spikes. Although some officials value the industry’s job creation, tax proponents insist that ordinary consumers should not subsidize the infrastructure needed to support the state’s expanding and energy-intensive digital industry. 
On Friday, the White House joined with the 13 governors whose states in whole or in part are served by the PJM Interconnection electric grid, the largest grid in the country, to propose a solution that “protects consumers” from soaring electric rates due to the addition of new AI data centers (see 
Wow, talk about strange bedfellows! On Friday, the White House joined the 13 governors whose states in whole or in part are served by the PJM Interconnection electric grid, the largest grid in the country, to propose a solution that “protects consumers” from soaring electric rates due to the addition of new AI data centers. While some of the ideas discussed were good, others (such as an anti-capitalist price cap) were not. We’ll explain. 
Last week, the EPA proposed a new rule (copy below) to restrict states’ and Native American tribes’ ability to block major projects, such as pipelines and data centers, by abusing the Clean Water Act. By narrowing Section 401 reviews to focus solely on direct water pollution, the Trump administration seeks to accelerate fossil fuel infrastructure and AI development through increased regulatory predictability. This move reverses Biden-era policies that allowed for never-ending environmental evaluations. While administration officials argue these constraints prevent unnecessary delays, environmental radicals contend the proposal undermines local authority to protect drinking water and ecosystems. A final rule is expected this spring. 
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts U.S. electricity generation will reach 4,423 billion kilowatthours by 2027, driven by steady annual growth. That’s up 3.7% from 4,260 billion KWH in 2025. While natural gas remains the primary power source, its market share is slipping alongside coal, which is declining 5% annually due to plant retirements. Dispatchable (on-demand) sources of electricity generation (natural gas, coal, and nuclear) accounted for 75% of total generation in 2025, but EIA expects their share to fall to about 72% in 2027. EIA expects the combined share of generation from solar and wind power (unreliable renewables) to rise from about 18% in 2025 to about 21% in 2027. Renewables are still minuscule compared to dispatchable natural gas and coal—which is as it should be if you care anything about energy security. 
One of the significant stories of 2024 in the Ohio Utica was about Austin Master Services (AMS), a radiological waste management solutions company in Martins Ferry, Ohio, that processes and transports fracking waste for disposal. AMS ran into trouble when it ran out of money. The Martins Ferry facility in Belmont County, where waste is temporarily stored, had vastly exceeded its permitted limit of 600 tons (storing over 10,000 tons), resulting in a permit violation. The Ohio Attorney General’s office filed a lawsuit against the company in March 2024 to compel compliance and require the company to clean up the facility. After the company didn’t perform, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) stepped in to handle the cleanup (see 
Ohio State Representatives Gary Click and Kellie Deeter have introduced legislation to establish a 13-member bipartisan Ohio Data Center Study Commission. This initiative responds to the rapid expansion of approximately 200 data centers across the state, which has sparked community concerns regarding agricultural land use, noise pollution, water consumption, and energy demands. The commission aims to provide a platform for public dialogue and develop a comprehensive report to guide future development. By evaluating these impacts, lawmakers hope to encourage smart, balanced growth that potentially prioritizes brownfield redevelopment over rural green spaces while ensuring long-term resource stability. 
On August 17, Eureka Resources’ Williamsport Second Street facility (one of the three wastewater treatment plants previously operated by Eureka) leaked some of its stored untreated frack wastewater, which ended up in the nearby Susquehanna River via a storm drain (see 
In November of last year, both New York and New Jersey issued the required federal water permits for the Williams Transco Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) natural gas pipeline project (see 
Yesterday, the Ohio Oil & Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) met in a public forum in Columbus and voted to open another 6,570 acres of state-owned wildlife land (in Belmont and Harrison counties) to allow bids to frack under (not on top of) those areas. The Commission also awarded a contract to Grenadier Energy to drill under another wildlife area in Carroll County, 172 acres of the Leesville Wildlife Area. The state is getting an amazing $6,000 signing bonus, equaling $1.03 million, plus big royalties! 
Last October, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) accepted applications for large-scale power projects, also known as “dispatchable” generation, that can provide energy quickly during periods of peak demand under the state’s Next Generation Act (see 
We spotted a short article alleging EQT has “abandoned” a shale well in Washington County, PA, and thought it would be a good opportunity to (once again) discuss the misnomer of “abandoned” oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania. Let’s begin with the news as reported… 
Last summer, Texas Eastern Transmission Pipeline Company (aka TETCO, owned by Enbridge) filed to build the Appalachia to Market III Project, abbreviated A2M III (see 
Last October, a seven-member, all-Democrat group of Pennsylvania House of Representatives members announced a six-bill legislative package aimed at regulating the “responsible development” of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in the state (see