As reported in Wednesday’s edition of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, approval of Gov. Josh Shapiro has fallen in polling from 61% to 56%.

We would not be surprised to continue to see it slide.

The article from The Center Square in Wednesday’s edition notes Pennsylvanians are having difficulty identifying what Shapiro’s administration accomplished in his first year and remain concerned about the economy and about energy costs.

On that last note the Shapiro administration likely did itself no favors by appealing a state court’s decision in an effort to unilaterally pursue participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

We believe working on environmental policies with the legislature and accepting compromise that allows the natural gas industry to flourish rather than demonizing it might reassure some of those voters that the governor recognizes the burden higher energy costs place on Pennsylvanians.

And as we’ve noted before, the governor’s first year also was highlighted by troubling trends away from transparency.

He resists releasing his daily calendar so his constituents can know with whom he’s meeting and what he’s doing. He required his transition team to sign non-disclosure agreements. Journalists had to spend months to acquire any degree of transparency about incidents of sexual harassment within the executive branch.

We hope that in the new year, we can see a renewed commitment by Pennsylvania’s governor to both diverse, affordable energy for Pennsylvanians and to transparent, accountable governance.

Without that commitment, we believe voters will continue to sour on him — and rightfully so.