DV Journal

There’s plenty to criticize about Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget address, as many have done. Yet, one of the strangest aspects of the governor’s speech is not what he said but rather what—or whom—he didn’t talk about. Though not referenced explicitly, government unions greatly influenced the governor’s recent budget address.

The word “union” appears just once in Shapiro’s prepared remarks, but only when mentioning “Union County,” the location for a new—ironically, non-union—pasta-manufacturing facility. Aside from one historical footnote about Pennsylvania’s role in the labor movement during the Industrial Revolution, unions were alive and kicking between the lines of Shapiro’s proposal.

Public sector unions stand behind every special interest group that benefits from Shapiro’s nearly $51.5 billion budget. Teachers, firefighters, police, corrections officers, state workers, transit workers, social workers, childcare workers, and home healthcare workers received substantial attention during the address.

Shapiro’s budget is chock-full of recklessly expensive union handouts. The proposal adds another $824 million to state support of public schools—to hit $17.7 billion—giving the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) exactly what it wants: $526 million for districts and $40 million for student-teacher stipends.

Meanwhile, more funding for in-home health care is the Service Employees International Union’s golden goose. Shapiro also promised $300 million for agencies like the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), where the Transport Workers Union Local 23 regularly threatens strikes. And, of course, the influx of new state employees Shapiro hired by lowering traditional standards helps increase membership dues for the 18 unions representing state workers.

These are Shapiro’s most powerful political allies. Like the governor and the rest of the Democratic Party, these unions want bigger government, more government services, and higher pay for public employees. Given the precarious balance of power in the state legislature, union lobbyists help Shapiro advance legislation in Harrisburg. Moreover, they aid in the dirty work to kill bills the governor doesn’t like so he doesn’t have to veto them.

So, why would Shapiro downplay his close relationships with those running government unions?

First, Shapiro is fully aware of the stink—and the appearance of impropriety—that comes with accepting millions in government union money. In 2022, he received more campaign donations from the country’s biggest government unions than any candidate nationwide. And it wasn’t close: The next three politicians on the list combined received less than Shapiro’s $4.5 million.

Unsurprisingly, Shapiro scratches the backs of those who scratch his. Last year, the governor agreed to a huge contract with executives from two of his biggest union donors. The contract negotiated by Shapiro included a record 20 percent increase in pay and benefits for state employees represented by the same unions who together contributed more than $2.75 million to his campaign. The Wall Street Journal labeled this move “Pennsylvania’s Big Government Union Payback.”

Shapiro also downplays his relationship with government union executives to avoid the conclusion that they—not Shapiro—call the shots in Harrisburg. But given Shapiro’s record and proposed budget, it’s difficult to conclude otherwise.

Shapiro’s biggest failure as governor resulted from unions pulling the strings. The governor couldn’t stand up to the PSEA, the state’s largest teacher union, and enact the Lifeline Scholarship Program. He received national accolades for supporting the popular school choice measure on the campaign trail, only to wilt under pressure and veto the measure when the teacher unions outflanked him politically. Shapiro’s flip-flop sent the state budget negotiations into a tailspin, resulting in a six-month impasse.

And the unions will never let the governor forget who’s in charge. Even though Shapiro’s support for school choice remains entirely hypothetical, union-funded organizations killed his chances of becoming Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate because of his previous stance.

Shapiro, who generally seems to have fooled the national press into thinking he’s a moderate Democrat, doesn’t want more bad press ahead of his likely presidential run. The governor is a clever politician who has learned not to say the quiet part out loud. Instead, he hides the unpleasant reality that he and his party are as beholden to government union executives. And together, they want to run up the bill in Harrisburg once again.

The state Senate on Thursday voted 31-18 Thursday to repeal Pennsylvania’s membership in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which Senate Republicans call a tax on electricity for Keystone State ratepayers.

“It is time for Pennsylvania to take charge of its own energy future,” said Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Bradford), chair of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. “We must close this chapter and move forward with responsible policy that strengthens grid reliability, incentivizes development, creates jobs and protects consumers from higher costs.”

RGGI is a cooperative effort among 11 U.S. states to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the power sector. Launched in 2009, RGGI is the first mandatory market-based cap-and-trade program in the United States to address climate change.

RGGI requires fossil fuel power plants with capacity greater than 25 megawatts to obtain an allowance for each ton of carbon dioxide they emit annually. Power plants within the region may comply by purchasing allowances from quarterly auctions, other generators within the region, or offset projects. The costs of those allowances are passed on to ratepayers.

Rather than taking the RGGI proposal through the legislative process, then-Gov. Tom Wolf (D) forced Pennsylvania into the compact via executive order in 2019.

Seeking to nail its coffin shut, the Senate passed a bill repealing it for the second time. Entering the compact was a top priority for Wolf, who vetoed a bill that would have required the state’s legislature to approve entering the RGGI.

However, Pennsylvania’s status in RGGI remains tied up in the courts, with a case pending in the state Supreme Court.

RGGI would “increase electricity rates for consumers, cut energy and has placed a halt on expansion of numerous manufacturing jobs,” the state Senate GOP said in a statement. “No new investments in baseload generation have come to Pennsylvania in the six years since the Wolf Administration attempted to enter the state into RGGI.”

They noted that, if adopted, it must be by the legislature, not executive fiat, which is the crux of their court case. Shapiro had appealed a Commonwealth Court decision to the Supreme Court.

“For nearly six years, we have been taking actions to stop the RGGI Electricity Tax,” Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Armstrong) said. “Even though the Commonwealth Court has ruled RGGI is unconstitutional, Gov. Shapiro has continued his push with the Supreme Court. If the RGGI electricity tax would go into effect, it would mean hundreds of millions of dollars of increases on electric bills, impacting every electricity consumer in this commonwealth. We must help families feeling the strain of inflation – not put more pressure on their household budgets.”

The Senate passed a bill to repeal RGGI last year. It died without being adopted by the Democrat-controlled House.

The bill will now goes to the House, which is currently tied 101-101 until a special election is held in March.

Shapiro recently put forward an energy proposal that he called the “Lightning Plan.”

It includes manufacturing tax credits, rebates for energy efficient appliances, a board to approve energy projects, a tax credit program, an investment credit, and regional hydrogen tax credits.

House Speaker Joanna McClinton did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Shapiro.

In a speech running more than 90 minutes, Pennsylvania’s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro laid out a $51.4 billion state budget Tuesday that included legalizing recreational marijuana, taxing skilled games of chance, and increasing the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour.

Shapiro said Pennsylvania residents go to nearby states to buy marijuana, and he anticipates $250 million in new revenue from taxing recreational cannabis. He also expects taxes on games of chance would bring in $8 billion in new revenue over five years.

But Dan Bartkowiak with the Pennsylvania Family Institute warned marijuana legalization would increase traffic accidents and lead to increased addiction, as well as other mental health problems like psychosis.

In Pittsburgh last week, Shapiro unveiled his “Lightning Plan” for energy–an allusion to Benjamin Franklin–so he only mentioned it briefly in his budget address.

His energy plan would fund new projects through an updated Pennsylvania Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) manufacturing tax credit. It would also streamline energy project approvals by creating a state energy board to cut red tape and encourage communities to lower utility bills through shared energy resources.

Additionally, the would plan increase rebates for energy-efficient appliances. The Lightning Plan would spur “clean energy” development in the commonwealth, positioning Pennsylvania, including PACER, a climate-change pan to reduce emissions, he said.

Americans for Prosperity Pennsylvania state Director Emily Greene called Shapiro’s energy plan a way “to make Pennsylvania more expensive” and “strangle Pennsylvania’s energy sector.”

“While we appreciate a renewed focus on permitting and regulatory reform, proposals such as PRESS and PACER would undercut the broad-based benefits of Pennsylvania natural gas, said Jim Welty, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition. “Imposing new energy taxes and electricity mandates that intentionally sideline natural gas not only impedes our ability to attract job-creating capital investment, but it drives up energy costs for consumers while threatening power reliability by exacerbating an already fragile electric grid.”

While others focused on Shapiro’s laundry list of proposals, Rep. Seth Grove (R-Dover) focused on the math.

“Shapiro came into office with a budget of $42.7 billion and an $8 billion budget surplus. In just his third budget, he has eviscerated the $8 billion budgetary surplus and is proposing to balloon the state budget by $9 billion from when he took office by raiding the Rainy Day Fund.

“This level of financial mismanagement, even for Pennsylvania, is unprecedented,” said Grove.

House Minority Leader Rep. Jesse Topper (R-Bedford) said Shapiro’s energy proposal would cause “instability in the market” and that instead he should get out of the way.

“One of the best things we can do in Pennsylvania to ignite our economy is to unleash our energy industry,” he said. “And the first thing that comes with that is to get us of out of RGGI, the Regional Greenhouse Initiative, and ensuring that nothing even takes its place.”

Minority Appropriations Chairman Jim Struzzi (R-Indiana) said Shapiro’s proposal for a $3.6 billion or 7.5 percent increase from last year comes “at a time we only expect revenues to grow by $1.3 billion. So, where is that money coming from?”

With the new proposed taxes, he’s “banking on revenues that we don’t have right now, draining our surplus to zero and taking $1.6 billion from the Rainy Day Fund,” Struzzi said.

Rep. Donna Scheuren (R-Harleysville) said she could support some of the governor’s proposals, but is concerned that Shapiro plans to raid the Rainy Day Fund.

“Projected revenues do not increase enough to match this spending, nor will his Hail Mary of legalizing marijuana get us there either, so Gov. Shapiro has once again proposed to drain our surplus. This time, however, the drain will see our surpluses fully depleted by the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year, putting Pennsylvania in a dire fiscal spot,” Scheuren said.

To make the tax system fairer, Shapiro would like to close “the Delaware loophole,” where some 11 percent of corporations register in Delaware to avoid paying taxes to Pennsylvania while “they use our roads and bridges and schools and parks.”

He would also continue to cut business taxes to entice new firms to relocate to the state.

“Here I am, a Democratic governor with an aggressive plan to cut taxes,” said Shapiro.

Among Shapiro’s long list of proposals is adding $75 million to basic education funding, $536 million to the poorest schools, and increasing special education by $40 million. He also proposed reforming cyber charter schools to save public school districts $378 million a year. Additionally, he would also add $5.5 million to career and technical education.

He would spend $55 million for childcare worker hiring and retention bonuses of at least $1,000 each. And $10 million more for early intervention services for children.

Republican Senate leaders noted this is Shapiro’s third budget without his campaign promise of funding for Lifeline Scholarships or the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success program to help children in failing schools explore different educational options in an environment that better suits their needs.

Shapiro said the state should invest $95 million in the life sciences industry that already employees more than 100,000 people. Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Pennsylvania spend more than $1 billion annually on research and development in that field.

“The foundation is here,” he said. “We just need to connect the dots.”

He also touted the state’s agriculture sector, proposing $13 million in grant programs and another $8 million in other agriculture-related programs.

Shapiro proposed more spending for mass transit, roads, and bridges. He would add 1.75 percent to the current 7.69 percent sales and use taxes earmarked for the Public Transportation Trust Fund. That would add $292.5 million to mass transit for 2025-26.

“We now know what Shapiro thinks the lesson of the 2024 election was,” said said Guy Ciarrocchi, a Republican pundit. “Double-down on the failed Biden-Harris progressive policies of taxes, spending, green-energy and siding with the teachers’ union over students… but, try a new messenger.

“It will likely fail politically—and worse, it will harm students, small businesses and taxpayers.”

The cockpit voice recorder from the doomed medical transport jet that crashed in northeast Philadelphia Friday evening is being examined the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, D.C. in hopes that it will shed light on why the plane crashed into Cottman Avenue.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited the crash site Monday and said it will take about a month for a preliminary report on the black box’s information, noting it’s a voice recorder, not a data recorder. And he promised “transparency” in the investigation.

The device was found eight feet into the ground at a hole made by the plane’s impact.

“Whether it’s the speed or location of the aircraft, we will be able to get some data, hopefully, off that device,” said Duffy. It could reveal whether rainy weather that evening was a factor, or if the cause was mechanical or health-related, he said.

Mayor Cherelle Parker confirmed that so far seven people are known to have died in the crash—six on the plane and one who was in a car on the ground. The plane was taking a pediatric patient and her mother home to Mexico after the child was treated at Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.

Twenty-four others were injured, she said. At least two remain in critical condition and two are in stable condition.

At a press conference on Monday, Parker thanked Duffy for coming to see the site himself and Gov. Josh Shapiro for his ongoing support.

The jet crash was “the worst black swan event” that the city has faced in years, she said. But it is “resilient” and remains strong, she said. Officials breathed “a sigh of relief that the black box was found.”

All city, state, and federal “partners” are working together in a “collaborative spirit.” She also thanked their elected representatives for their support.

“Everyone standing up together in this crisis,” said Parker. “One Philly strong.”

Parker and other officials visited some of the victims in a hospital and also thanked emergency room workers for taking care of those injured.

The jet crashed less than a minute after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, a smaller secondary airport about 3.5 miles from the crash site. Parker said the incident, while horrific, could have been much worse if the plane had struck a gas line. As it was, five houses were set ablaze and numerous cars were charred.

The jet was en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri before heading on to Mexico.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said there was “a thin line between tragedy and triumph, between danger and safety. A millisecond could have claimed many more lives in our community.”

Cottman Avenue divides a residential and a very busy commercial area that includes the Roosevelt Mall.

While Shapiro was at the scene Friday evening, he saw a person “donning a kelly green hoodie and…running to help others.”

Both Shapiro and Parker praised the police and fire departments for their swift response and “extraordinary leadership.” Shapiro thanked Duffy, who had only been confirmed a week earlier, for his quick response.

Parker noted the city is relying on its state and federal partners.

A reporter asked Parker about the examination of DNA at the scene and whether anyone else could have been killed by the plane crash. Parker responded that is why they are not giving absolute casualty numbers but “going to allow our experts to continue to do their work.”

The NTSB is the lead agency investigating the crash. If anyone finds debris they should not touch it but instead report it to: witness@ntsb.gov

The Roosevelt Boulevard has reopened but Cottman Avenue remains closed between Bustleton Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard.

Parker and city officials will hold a town hall meeting to answer residents’ questions at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Solis Cohen Elementary School, 7001 Horrocks Street, Philadelphia.

According to updates provided by the City of Philadelphia, the medical transport jet that crashed around 6:10 p.m. Friday at Cottman and Bustleton Avenues in northeast Philadelphia took seven lives: six onboard and one person who was in a car on the ground.

Twenty-two other victims were taken to area hospitals. Five remained hospitalized as of Sunday. Three of those people were in critical condition.

At a Saturday morning press conference, Mayor Cherelle Parker urged people to call police if any of their family members in that area are missing.

Five houses and numerous cars were set ablaze.

Both Parker and Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was with her, asked people to pray for those affected.

“I happen to be a praying mayor, and I know that prayer works,” said Parker. “Offer a prayer for our city. Now is the time we need it.”

An oxygen canister from the doomed airplane at the curb on Cottman Avenue

The people on the plane were Mexican nationals, a pediatric patient, the patient’s mother, and a four-person flight crew, said Parker. The plane took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

“It was only aloft for a very short period of time before something went terribly wrong and it crashed,” said Parker. “The aircraft, a Learjet 55, was en route to Missouri, according to our Federal Aviation Administration.”

“Investigators are pouring over the crash site right now,” said Parker. “We will find a cause for this tragedy.” Workers were restoring gas and electric service. SEPTA is detouring buses around the Cottman and Roosevelt Boulevard area.

The Red Cross is helping people who are displaced by the crash. The school district said there are no school closures.

“What you witnessed today is everyone standing up together,” said Parker, naming all the city, state, and federal agencies involved, as well as public officials.

She asked people not to come to the site since it remains “an active scene.”

Shapiro said, “The city is working around the clock to keep people safe, to understand what happened and to be there for those who are impacted.”

He thanked “everyone who is joining forces together,” including 50 state police troopers and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. He said he spoke to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who offered federal resources. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have dispatched investigators.

The NTSBB also had a press conference Saturday. Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said a team of 17 people was deployed and an investigation is underway.

Ralph Hicks, with NTSB, said the doomed airplane climbed to 1,500 feet before it fell to the ground.

“The entire fight lasted less than a minute,” he said.

Homendy said, “This was a high-impact crash and the plane is highly fragmented…The debris field extends four or five blocks.”  On Sunday evening, workers found the cockpit voice recorder.

Anyone who fiends a piece of debris should email: withness@NTSB.gov, she said.

The NTSB is classifying the crash as an accident, she said.

“I know the good people of northeast Philadelphia, as daybreak came, walked out of their houses and down from their stoops and saw carnage in their communities, saw a fuselage, saw destruction, and saw things no one should ever have to experience in their neighborhoods,” said Shapiro. “We also saw the best of northeast Philly: neighbor helping neighbor. Folks looking out for one another. That’s the Philly way. That’s the Philly spirit.”

The pediatric patient on the plane had been treated at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia and was returning to Mexico by way of Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri.

Flames from jet crash (via X)

City Manager Director Adam Thiel said the accident scene is a “very large area.”

“We’re doing a grid search of this entire four to six block area,” said Thiel. “A very dense area to ensure we’ve found everything we need to find, that we have checked in with all of the residents. And we will continue to do that.”

“We have teams that are going literally house to house, door to door,” he said. “Also, license and inspection personnel are inspecting all the dwellings in the area so we can be sure we don’t have additional structural damage, and it is possible we will still find that.”

“It is still a very active and fluid situation,” said Thiel. “It is entirely possible there will be changes to those casualty figures that you heard…We have a lot of unknowns as to who was where on the streets of this neighborhood last night at the time of impact. It will likely be days or more until we are able to definitely answer the question about the number of folks who perished in this tragedy and the outcome for those who were injured.”

Anthony Romi lives on the east side of Roosevelt Boulevard and was home when the crash occurred.

“It sounded like a missile,” Romi told DVJournal. “That’s how loud it was. It shook the whole neighborhood. The whole neighborhood lit up. I knew it was some sort of an explosion.”

His first thought was the gas station on the corner had exploded.

“It was such a shock. I feel sad for the people that lost their lives,” said Romi.

State Sen. Joe Picozzi (Philadelphia) was on hand for the press conference.

Afterward, he told DVJournal, “I’ve had a lot of people reach out, ‘How can I help? What can I do?’– community leaders, civic leaders.

“We’ll be working together to help everybody,” Picozzi said.

Philadelphia will offer support to affected businesses. Businesses with property damage or operational issues because of local road closures can contact the Department of Commerce’s Mayor’s Business Action team or call (215) 683-2100, or email business@phila.gov.

The city is also offering mental health services for those affected by the crash or (215) 685-6440. And residents affected by the aircraft incident can text RECOVERPHL to 888-777 to get the latest updates and information sent straight to their phones.

Failed initiatives and misguided mandates leave Pennsylvania residents footing the bill for unreliable power.

From the energy crisis of the Carter administration to President Joe Biden’s policies targeting the oil and gas industry, Democratic approaches to energy have consistently fallen short. Now, Gov. Josh Shapiro is continuing the legacy of disastrous energy policies.

In November 2023, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)—a failed program designed to cap and reduce carbon emissions—levied an unconstitutional tax on Pennsylvania energy consumers. The ruling effectively prevented Pennsylvania from participating in RGGI. But instead of complying with the court’s order and working with the legislature to recover the estimated $7 billion lost in private investment tied to the initiative, Shapiro appealed the ruling to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, where it is still unresolved.

In the meantime, Shapiro has developed two more radical ideas, drawing sharp criticism from energy stakeholders and even members of his own party. His first proposal, the Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS), imposes strict mandates on energy sourcing. The mandates—centered on intermittent, unreliable and unproven energy generation sources—raise significant concerns. Renewable resources like wind and solar undoubtedly have a place within a diversified energy portfolio, but requiring their use without guarantees of reliable, scalable, and on-demand output jeopardizes economic and energy stability for residents of the Commonwealth. A balanced approach that considers the practical realities and limitations of each energy source is crucial to safeguarding the interests of both individuals and businesses in the region.

The governor’s second energy proposal is the Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction (PACER) Initiative, a cap-and-trade program that mimics RGGI. PACER would require taxpayers to subsidize nonreliable sources of energy in addition to paying higher energy costs. Worse still, the bill’s vague language raises concerns about whether Pennsylvania taxpayers would subsidize in-state nuclear generation despite already allowing subsidies for out-of-state nuclear energy.

Both plans would pass the financial burden of those regulations onto electric consumers and ratepayers in Pennsylvania, particularly hurting low-income residents who already struggle to afford their energy bills.

These proposals by Shapiro faced such significant opposition that House Democratic committee chairs refused to advance the bills last session.

After four years of rapidly rising inflation and the financial fallout from RGGI, Pennsylvanians now face even higher electric bills in 2025. Attempting to shift the blame for this unmitigated failure, Shapiro filed a frivolous lawsuit against PJM Interconnection, the mid-Atlantic’s largest electricity wholesaler. He claims requiring PJM to lower its price cap—the maximum rate they can charge per unit—will address the rising electricity prices. However, the governor’s complaint fails to address the fundamental drivers of the escalating costs. The real issue lies in surging energy demand and the premature decommissioning of power plants—consequences directly linked to initiatives like RGGI. Moreover, PJM has been sounding the alarm for over two years about the potential for power shortages in certain regions during periods of peak demand.

This looming possibility has been exacerbated primarily by state and federal policies that Shapiro himself has championed. His inability to take responsibility for his shortcomings is a disservice to the people he is supposed to serve.

The livelihood of Pennsylvania is reliant on the state’s energy economy. A robust, dependable, and economically viable energy landscape across the commonwealth means taking a comprehensive approach to power generation and distribution. Harnessing a diverse array of resources, from traditional fossil fuels to renewable alternatives, is paramount in ensuring a resilient and sustainable energy infrastructure.

As the Biden administration’s policies of reliance on foreign oil come to a close, Republicans have a chance to lead with a bold, balanced energy plan that prioritizes affordability, reliability and economic growth for all Americans.

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) filed a complaint with the federal government against America’s largest energy grid operator, PJM Interconnection, suggesting its rules are responsible for last summer’s record-high power auction prices.

The grid operator and energy industry analysts, however, point to another culprit: Soaring demand for electricity at the same time power plants are being retired, reducing supply.

PJM is not a power company. Instead, it coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity across 13 states (including Pennsylvania) and the District of Columbia. It relies on market capacity auctions to receive commitments from electricity generators to meet future demand.

In the complaint, Shapiro blames “the country’s most snarled interconnection queue” and PJM’s auction scheduling policies for the fact it’s paying record-high prices on the energy market.

In 2023, PJM paid $2.2 billion for 140,416 megawatts (MW) of electricity. Last year, prices skyrocketed to $14.7 billion for 135,000 MW – a 700 percent increase.

“Pennsylvania ratepayers face potentially the largest unjust wealth transfer in the history of U.S. energy markets due to PJM Interconnection LLC’s capacity auctions,” Shapiro’s complaint asserts.

Energy experts say Shapiro is missing the obvious problem: Supply is down and demand is up – particularly for giant data centers.

“We’re not adding new plants that are capable of running around the clock, and then you have this, this new, unexpected demand. It’s really going to cause a problem down the line unless we shift gears and correct it,” Terry Fitzpatrick, former Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission chair, told DVJournal.

Shapiro’s lawsuit, filed on December 30, came two weeks after the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) warned that PJM customers face an ‘Elevated’ risk of power loss next year due to rising demand and generator retirements.

The question is why an energy superpower like the United States, the world’s leading producer of natural gas and wind power, is facing a potential supply shortfall?

“It should be an oxymoron to say that the U.S. has power constraints because we shouldn’t have any,” said Trisha Curtis, an energy consultant.

Court documents accuse PJM of compressed auction timelines that lock out market participants. Shapiro’s attorneys said the design of the capacity market failed to account for different kinds of energy supply. That caused the prices to “whiplash between soaring or cratering.”

PJM is also accused of delaying the integration of new power projects into the market through its interconnection queue process. Court documents cited an April 2024 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study saying there are 3,009 projects waiting to connect to the PJM grid. Those projects would add an estimated 286.7GW in capacity but won’t be reviewed until next year.

Shapiro wants the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to force PJM to reopen its interconnection queue process, lower its capacity price caps, and get help from member states where projects are ready to be connected to the grid.

PJM said the governor doesn’t fully understand the issue, specifically the role of government regulation.

“PJM has been approving new, mostly renewable generation projects to connect to the grid at a record pace,” according to their statement. “PJM has approved approximately 50,000 MW of such projects, most of which have not been connecting to the grid quickly enough due to factors outside of PJM’s control, including state permitting, project financing and global supply chain challenges.”

PJM reported last year that somewhere between 24,000 and 58,000 MW of electricity generation would be retired by 2030 and not be replaced. Almost 20,000 of that loss is the result of state and federal regulations.

NERC issued a similar warning about energy capacity due to government regulations. In its 2024 Long-Term Reliability Assessment, the group said most of North America faces power grid reliability challenges due to thermal generator retirements. Most of those retirements are in PJM’s coverage area, California, the Midwest, and North Carolina.

Last year the Biden-Harris administration published a rule requiring existing coal-fired plants to capture 90 percent of their carbon emissions by 2032. All new natural gas-fired power plants also have to follow those rules.

However, President-elect Donald Trump is expected to revoke the power plant rule.

Energy groups defended PJM.

American Energy Alliance President Thomas Pyle said PJM was stuck between a rock and a hard place because it’s trying to maintain grid reliability. He suggested Shapiro’s suit ignores the problem of the green energy push by the Biden White House.

“It is going to become increasingly expensive to ensure reliability, and ratepayers are going to have to pay for that somehow (or they are going to have to start accepting rolling blackouts),” Pyle said.

Shapiro took a stab at energy policy last March with the Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Act (PACER). It was presented as an alternative to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) – a multi-state carbon tax compact former Gov. Tom Wolf (D) forced the state into without legislative approval. The Commonwealth Court threw out RGGI, calling it an unconstitutional tax but the case has been appealed to the state Supreme Court.

The state Legislature declined to vote on PACER last year.

Fitzpatrick, who retired last year as Energy Association of Pennsylvania president and CEO, called the PACER plan a bad idea because it would cause more coal and gas power plants to retire.

“Every energy policy ought to be viewed in light of what it does to these prematurely retiring plants or to building new plants. And if it’s going to be a discouragement there, we shouldn’t do it,” he said.

(This column first appeared in Broad + Liberty)

Last month, the Biden administration quietly abandoned its plan to force school districts to allow boys to compete against girls in sports. Before that about-face, districts across the country had been threatened with a loss of federal funding if they failed to comply with yet another revision of the Title IX regulations — further gutting the original protections for girls and women.

However, as a result of widespread criticism, the U.S. Department of Education announced, “in light of the comments received and those various pending court cases, the Department has determined not to regulate on this issue at this time.”

Approximately half the states in the country have regulations or laws preventing boys from competing in girls’ sports.

Pennsylvania is one of 25 states allowing boys to compete against girls. Gov. Josh Shapiro, in his former role of attorney general and current role as governor, has been a strong advocate of supporting boys to invade girls’ spaces. In 2020, he posted, “trans women are women.”

Despite the elimination of the federal mandate, the commonwealth has no intention of changing its policies.

When asked whether the state would change its stance on boys competing against girls as a result of the federal rule withdrawal, Amanda Brothman from the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC), doubled-down on their position.

“Regardless of what happens federally, protections on the basis of sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics exist for students in Pennsylvania. In 2023, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission released new regulations more clearly explaining the definition of sex. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and the Pennsylvania Fair Educational Opportunities Act protects students in ‘kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, high schools, academies, colleges and universities, extension courses and all educational institutions under the supervision of this Commonwealth’ unless the schools are ‘in their nature distinctly private.’”

The cited regulations expand the definition of the word “sex” to include “gender identity” and “gender expression.” The Pennsylvania definition also includes sexual orientation, sex characteristics, and other intersex characteristics.

Brothman included this document with her response and highlighted the section that reads, “Creating school policies that could provide different treatment for students based on their sex.”

The PHRC does not require legislative approval to promulgate new regulations. The agency operates under eleven commissioners appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.

Hence, the definition of the term “sex” was easily changed in 2023 under the supervision of the PHRC commissioners. The agency was able to single-handedly modify the definition of a word that held the same meaning since 1955 when the Human Relations Act was enacted. The agency justified the changes based on the notion that “existing regulations provide no definition and no guidance for” the word “sex.”

The PHRC also issued a statement in support of the now withdrawn federal Title IX changes to force school districts to allow boys to compete against girls.

PHRC Executive Director Chad Dion Lassiter said last summer, “The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission is committed to its duty to protect all students from illegal discrimination. A student’s sexual orientation or gender identity should not prevent them from receiving a quality and equal education.”

Yet, by changing the definition of the word “sex,” the PHRC is endangering girls both on the field and in private spaces, like girls’ bathrooms. Notably, the lack of definition of the word “sex” was not problematic for girls over the 68 years that it was used in the PHRC regulations prior to 2023.

Interestingly, the agency that is responsible for regulating secondary sports in the state, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Agency (PIAA), recognizes that there are significant differences between male and female athletes.

“Based upon real and demonstrable physical and competitive differences between similarly aged and trained boys and girls in athletic performances, PIAA recognizes that combining genders for competition purposes would have a chilling effect on female participation in interscholastic athletics. PIAA further recognizes that, historically, girls’ participation has been much more limited than boys’ participation. To promote participation by the historically underrepresented gender in a fair competitive environment, PIAA, therefore, classifies sports by gender and limits mixed gender participation,” according to their bylaws (emphasis added).

The bylaws do not include a definition of sex and only use the terms boys and girls. It is apparently the local principal’s decision on how to classify a particular athlete’s gender.

“Where a student’s gender is questioned or uncertain, the decision of the Principal as to the student’s gender will be accepted by PIAA.”

According to PIAA, if a male student claims to be a girl and wants to run on the girls’ track team, then the school principal gets to decide whether or not to classify him as a girl and allow him to compete against other female athletes.

As a result of the turmoil around the issue, a number of female senators are proposing to revive the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” a version of which passed both the state house and senate in 2022 but was vetoed by then-Governor Tom Wolf.

The bill’s memorandum issued in early December explains the purpose of the act.

“Under this legislation, school athletic teams designated for women may not be open to those of the male sex. The legislation defines “sex” as the biological distinction between male and female, based on reproductive biology and genetic make-up….. Maintaining separate, biologically specific teams will ensure opportunities for women athletes, while fulfilling the goals of Title IX.”

The memo states, “the bill has strong bipartisan support,” and that will be necessary in order to be enacted. However, Governor Shapiro has already pledged to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps and veto a similar bill.

In the meantime, the PHRC is counting on a prior Supreme Court ruling to uphold its authority to create and implement regulations without legislative support.

“The Supreme Court noted that the power of an agency to promulgate legislative rules is so great that these rules can only be reversed by courts when ‘[w]hat has been ordered. . .appear[s] to be so entirely at odds with fundamental principles. . .as to be the expression of a whim rather than an exercise of judgment.’” [emphasis added]

While I am not an attorney or an expert on legal matters, changing the definition of sex to include gender identity certainly seems to be “so entirely at odds with fundamental principles.” I could further argue that the change is clearly an “expression of a whim rather than an exercise of judgement.”

European countries and even the mainstream media have begun to acknowledge that gender-affirming care and redefining the term sex have gone too far, and the practices are actually harming children — not helping them.

With very few exceptions for chromosomal disorders, there are two genders — male and female — and anything else is a preference or simply adolescent confusion. Government agencies need to stop misusing their power to change a definition that has existed since the beginning of time.

The state legislature needs to take a hard look at the PHRC’s manipulation of the definition of sex and its impact on the safety of girls and women, and Gov. Shapiro should be held accountable for disregarding the safety of half of his constituents.

Who were the biggest winners and losers in the Delaware Valley in 2024? And what’s on tap for 2025? Some local politicians and commentators weighed in.

Former Republican Chester County congressional candidate, now pundit Guy Ciarrocchi, said, “The biggest winner locally: that’s easy…Sen.-elect Joe Picozzi. He’s 29 years old and gave 110 percent to defeat a Democrat incumbent state senator. Picozzi is the first GOP Senate candidate to defeat an incumbent Democratic senator in Philly since 1984. And he was the only challenger in Pennsylvania to defeat an incumbent for the state Senate or state House in 2024.”

Jeff Jubelirer, vice president of Bellevue Communications, said the biggest winner was the “Bucks County GOP, No. 1 in the region for delivering for Trump and pulling ahead of the Democrats in voter registration again.”

Former Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies, a Montgomery County Democrat and the first woman Pennsylvania voters sent to Congress, is now president of Women’s Campaign International and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Margolies cited the “strong women” who’ve followed in her footsteps: Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery), Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Delaware), and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester).

David Galluch, a Republican who ran for Congress in Delaware County and a Delaware County GOP Executive Committee member, believes the biggest winner was the Delco GOP.

“We have long said that the Republican Party is a big tent whose foundation is built upon the tenets of economic opportunity and commonsense policies. Our gains in communities that 10 years ago would have never dreamed they’d vote Republican, show that the coalition we are building is real – and growing,” said Galluch.

Galluch said the biggest loser was “the hard-working residents of Delaware County.”

“A recent 24 percent tax hike approved by the 5-0 Democrat-controlled Delaware County Council will make life significantly harder for everyone in our county. For some already struggling to make ends meet, it could be the difference between a car payment and their tax bill. The trajectory this council has our county on is unsustainable,” said Galluch.

Jubelirer said the biggest loser was “the decision by the National Democrats to forego a mini-convention to pick a replacement for Biden, thus depriving the electorate and party members of an opportunity to select who they thought would be the best candidate.”

Ciarrocchi said, “The biggest loser locally was the Democrat Party. They wanted to run against Trump, and they got it. A year of calling him every attack name in the book—including ‘Hitler’—and a year of trying to tie every Republican to ‘Hitler’-Trump…and Trump’s support grew from 2020.”

Plus, Democrats “did not defeat one incumbent Republican in our region.”

Margolies said, “I think the biggest loser is messaging.”

“Democrats are always trying to fit too much into an answer…I think we lost because we didn’t get to how people felt when they walked into the grocery store. And that’s what we have to think of with regard to Democrats, because we’re the ones who care about those things…caring about the middle class,” she said.

As for the biggest winner statewide, Ciarrocchi said, “That’s easy: Dave McCormick. He got knocked down in 2022, dusted himself off, and ran a tireless campaign to defeat a Pennsylvania Democrat incumbent icon—Bob Casey, who had been in office since 1995 and whose dad had been in office in the 1970s.”

Jubelirer agreed the “No. 1 statewide winner was McCormick.”

McCormick “pulled off a strong comeback election victory and appears to be the top GOP ‘kingmaker’ with his endorsement of Sen. Greg Rothman as next party chair, which cleared the field.”

Ciarrocchi said the biggest statewide loser was “the legacy print media. It was also the biggest loser nationally, too. It’s a medium that has been losing readers and revenue for years. Most of the major papers devoted a year to attacking Trump, his supporters, [and] most GOP candidates—and their issues, in not only editorials but news stories and headlines, repeatedly. Most newspapers endorsed Harris and every or almost every Democrat running for major office. [It’s why DVJournal, Broad + Liberty, Center Square, the Citizen, talk radio and podcasts are growing.]”

For Jubelirer, “The current Democratic Party ‘brand’ is the  No.1 loser, although I am hesitant to use that word. I believe it’s temporary and cyclical, and things will shake out – the question is in what direction? Reasonable moderateness or farther to the left progressivism? If the party follows Gov. Josh Shapiro’s lead and works in moderation, in a bipartisan fashion, and sticks to bread-and-butter issues – the economy, our schools, safety, etc., then they have a great opportunity to bounce back.”

As for issues and people making headlines in 2025, Jubelirer said, “The battles for countywide offices will be interesting to observe given recent tax increase votes. Will Democratic voter registration advantages be enough to hold off a possible angrier electorate in Chester, Montgomery and Delaware Counties?”

Jubelirer named Shapiro is also a person to watch. His “continuing and perhaps further evolving leadership role in the state and in the party and maybe nationally.”

Margolies also believes all eyes should be on the Pennsylvania governor.

“He’s really terrific,” said Margolies. Shapiro “has a Ph.D.  in politics. He knows how to answer questions, not to offend. He’s very thoughtful and reasonable. He’s staying in the center, he’s moderate middle. Just keep your eye on him. Look what he did when the road [I-95] collapsed…I do think he’s going to be president someday.”

In 2025, Democrats should continue to press the issues of abortion rights and gun control. She said, “I would keep my eye on those two issues.”

Ciarrocchi added, “This election showed that due to the Democrats’ overreach and failing at governing, the GOP stayed united and grew. In 2025, will that trend continue?”

“Chesco and Delco Dems are raising taxes by 14-24 percent. And Bucks Dem Commissioners proudly ignored the [election] law.  Have the Dems gone too far left? Can the GOP begin to build back better?” Ciarrocchhi asked.

All I want for Christmas is an honest conversation in Pennsylvania on the state of our elections. I doubt Santa will be able to deliver.

The first step would be that our government officials (both elected and appointed, present and former), need to stop breathlessly proclaiming that Pennsylvania elections are “free, fair, safe, and secure.” Both Gov. Shapiro and Secretary Al Schmidt repeat that mantra over and over, ad nauseum, like clockwork, after every election.

But just saying it does not make it so. And such a broad brush manifesto sweeps the very real problems faced by Pennsylvanians out of sight. Keystone State citizens deserve a straightforward conversation and genuine efforts to fix the problems that continue to plague our election process.

Just this week, authorities in Delaware County arrested a woman named Jennifer Hill, charging her with multiple counts of forgery, tampering with public records, and knowingly registering voters who were not eligible. Ms. Hill was apparently associated with New Pennsylvania Project, a self-proclaimed voting rights organization. Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollmeister states his office continues to look into the voter registrations submitted by both Ms. Hill and the larger organization.

According to NBC10 Philadelphia, Kadia Kenner, the CEO of New Pennsylvania Project, stated that it does not provide “financial incentives or bonuses for voter application collection (and the) employees have no quota to meet.” That statement does not end the inquiry. In fact, it should just be the beginning.

The New Pennsylvania Project’s website states, “We’ve already collected nearly 35,000 voter registrations in our first two years. We plan to collect 60,000 more in 2024 and make an even larger impact.” So, even if individual employees did not have quotas, it is clear that the organization as a whole set lofty goals. How are those goals translated into employee productivity? While New Pennsylvania Project claims not to be working for a particular candidate or party, its board and staff list is chockablock full of prominent Democrats. Connecting the dots, it looks like this organization wanted more Democrats in Pennsylvania.

Right on cue, in an article about Ms. Hill’s arrest, the The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, “False voter registration forms are not uncommon but are generally caught by election officials and rarely lead to fraudulent votes.”  Wow – if these false forms are not uncommon – does that mean these are a common occurrence? And how does the Philadelphia Inquirer know that they are “generally” caught and “rarely” lead to fraudulent votes. Maybe The Inquirer takes its cue, and its messaging, from Gov. Shapiro and Secretary Schmidt — keep repeating that our elections are “free, fair, safe, and secure” to quash any suggestion that there is room for improvement.

According to the docket, as of Dec. 19, 2024, Ms. Hill was unable to post bail so remained confined in a Delaware County Prison. I imagine when she first applied to New Pennsylvania Project, responding to its call for “passionate individuals to join our team and help defend democracy by expanding the electorate” she did not envision sitting in jail just a few days before Christmas, facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges.

Perhaps someone should investigate just what these passionate individuals were told in order to meet the organization’s goal of 60,000 new Pennsylvania voters in 2024. Were they trained as to what constituted a valid voter registration? Did a supervisor review their work? What safeguards were in place to make sure only eligible voters were registered?

Back in 1980, another person with the same name as Ms. Hill, but I am sure no relation, was arrested and faced a potentially long prison sentence. That man, Henry Hill, cooperated with authorities and provided information so that law enforcement could catch the bigger fish in the criminal enterprise. His story was made into a classic movie: “Goodfellas.” Using individuals to obtain useful information about larger operations has long been an effective investigative tool.

When authorities discover these fraudulent voter registration dumps, perhaps a comprehensive inquiry is warranted. It may be more than just one bad actor or one individual who went astray. If an organization’s primary purpose is to simply add voters to the rolls, is there also an attendant responsibility to make sure that the laws are scrupulously followed? If not, there should be. Ms. Hill’s case is not an isolated incident as the issue arose in multiple counties over the course of the 2024 election.

Make no mistake, what Ms. Hill allegedly did was illegal and this behavior undermines trust in elections. It also bloats the rolls with ineligible voters, opening the door for malfeasance. However, if voter registration groups encourage, cajole, and support quantity over quality when it comes to voter registration, even if there was no specific corresponding payment or required quota, the organization as a whole may be just as culpable. Our election laws should be drafted to prevent this nonsense. If we truly want Pennsylvania’s elections to be “free, fair, safe, and secure,” investigations into voter registration violations should be exhaustive and not stop simply with the person who turned in the forms.