PA Gov. Shapiro Energy Policy – Formula for Expensive Electricity
In March, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro traveled to Scranton, PA, to announce a proposal to “immediately pull Pennsylvania out of a multi-state carbon cap-and-trade program” (the so-called Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI) and instead enroll PA in its very own RGGI-like carbon tax program (see PA Gov. Shapiro Proposes Own Version of Marcellus-Killing Carbon Tax). Same end result: It would kill Marcellus-fired power plants in the state, forcing them to close and relocate to West Virginia and Ohio, states that don’t engage in the lunacy of taxing carbon emissions from power plants. The Shapiro plan also includes a provision to FORCE the state to get 35% of its electricity from unreliable renewables, and FORCE it to get 50% of its electricity “from a diverse range of energy resources” by 2035, just over ten years from now. Shapiro recently found legislators dumb enough to introduce his plan in the form of four bills (see Extremist Democrats Intro Gov. Shapiro’s Energy Plan with 4 Bills).
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Last week, the Baker Hughes U.S. rig count lost another two rigs, down to 603, the lowest the count has been since January of 2022. Since last October, the national count had gone as low as 616 and as high as 629, and that was it — a fairly narrow band. That is, until three weeks when it crashed through the floor and went lower, down to 613. Then, two weeks ago, it was down to 605. And now, it has gone even lower, down to 603. Will we see it go lower than 600?
In March, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro traveled to Scranton, PA, to announce a proposal to “immediately pull Pennsylvania out of a multi-state carbon cap-and-trade program” (the so-called Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI) and instead enroll PA in its very own RGGI-like carbon tax program (see 
The environmental left is now attempting to co-opt the term “Evangelical Christian,” defined as protestants who tend to be pro-life and conservative in their political views. We’re here to expose them for who they really are. We’re talking about the so-called Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) that keeps trying to pressure Pennsylvania to adopt unreliable renewable energy (by government fiat) and to force residents to dump their use of fossil energy. The EEN claims to be “pro-life” and “conservative” in their press releases. We question those statements. Our observation over the years is that EEN supports extreme leftwing Democrat policies ONLY, and they NEVER support any Republican energy policies in Harrisburg. NEVER. We don’t know about their use of the word “Christian” (that’s between them and God), but we can assure you they aren’t conservative. They certainly aren’t Evangelical in the traditional sense of that word.
Two days ago, MDN brought you an extensive article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that delves into the thorny issue of who should pay to plug some of the 200,000+ orphaned and abandoned wells in Pennsylvania (see 
Yes! It’s about time!! Pennsylvania State Senator Gene Yaw (Republican from Lycoming County) is about to introduce a new bill that will cut off millions of dollars in tax revenues that flow from shale drilling to any municipality (county, town, village, city) that launches a lawsuit against “Big Oil,” as recently happened with Bucks County, a Philadelphia suburb (see 
According to a new article by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, abandoned oil and gas wells can be found “everywhere” in Pennsylvania. An influx of new federal funding gives the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) new urgency in finding and plugging them. However, it is the thorny issue of who pays or should pay when the owner is known that caught our attention. In some cases, producers (and speculators) buy leases and land, knowing that new drilling (in particular shale drilling) may one day happen on the property, but the new owners didn’t sign up for the financial responsibility to plug old/existing wells on the property. Should they (instead of taxpayers) be on the hook to pay?
Last week, the Baker Hughes U.S. rig count lost another eight rigs, down to 605, the lowest the count has been since January of 2022. Since last October, the national count had gone as low as 616 and as high as 629, and that was it. No higher and no lower. That is, until two weeks when it crashed through the floor and went lower, down to 613. And now, it has gone even lower, down to 605. The Marcellus/Utica remained even at 40 rigs after losing one rig two weeks ago. Pennsylvania operates 21 rigs; Ohio operates 11 active rigs; and West Virginia operates 8 rigs.
UGI, a diversified energy company with midstream (pipeline) operations in the Marcellus and one of PA’s largest utility companies, hinted last summer that it was looking to sell or spin off its propane subsidiary into a new company (see 
Private companies create jobs and economic stimulus, not “the government,” as the left convinces you. Companies, especially manufacturing companies, locate where there is cheap energy. In Pennsylvania, there is abundant cheap (and CLEAN) energy from Marcellus gas in the northeastern part of the state. And indeed, that is exactly what is happening. Businesses are locating in what locals call the “Inland Triangle” of PA — seven counties with numerous major interstate highways running through them in the heart of the Marcellus.
When the Bidenistas announced a $750 million “investment” of taxpayer money would flow to the Philadelphia region (actually Delaware and New Jersey, and a little bit of Philly) for a “green” hydrogen hub, wackadoodle antis pitched a fit (see 
Greg Wrightstone, a Pennsylvania native, is a geologist, the executive director of the CO2 Coalition, and an author. Wrightstone recently published an article detailing how Pennsylvania’s environment is not in the state of crisis that alarmists say it is. He implores Gov. Josh Shapiro to get his head out of his…mental morass…and stop worrying about mythical catastrophic global warming. Overall, the weather has been getting better and agricultural production is up in Pennsylvania. Shapiro needs to drop the doom and gloom routine.
Permitting in Pennsylvania, especially permits overseen by the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), has been a hot mess for years. A Chapter 102 Erosion and Sedimentation permit sometimes takes two, three, or even six to eight months for approval — instead of the law-mandated 14 days. It got so bad that in the fall of 2019, PA State Sen. Gene Yaw introduced a bill to allow third-party reviews of these permits in an attempt to speed it up (see 
In addition to opposition from the editors of the Wall Street Journal to the Biden EPA plan to ration electricity by prohibiting existing coal and any new gas-fired power plants (see today’s companion story), prominent Republican legislators in Pennsylvania issued statements challenging the new regulations. The Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore, Senate Majority Leader, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair, and Chairman of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee all issued statements describing how the EPA regs will kill gas-fired power in the Keystone State.