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‘Affordability first’ flips script on energy policy

In early November, U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson’s (R-Ohio) simple Affordable, Reliable, and Clean Energy Security Act underscored the titanic shift in the public psyche over the past decade. Note, it’s neither the “Clean and Reliable Act” nor the “Clean and Affordable Act.” Instead, affordability gets top billing. This is no accident: Electricity costs are skyrocketing, and affordability is top of mind for Americans. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports average retail revenues per kWh increased in 46 states since last August. Those rates vary significantly from ...

Why is everyone overwhelmed?

It seems that the term “overwhelmed” is getting a significant amount of ink these days. What does it mean and why do people use it so often? According to the online etymology dictionary, it is a mid-14th Century word describing, “to turn upside, overthrow, knock over.” It is allegedly from the Middle English whelmen “to turn upside down.” So “overwhelmed,” as I suspected, is even worse than just being “whelmed.” When someone is overwhelmed, they are not just knocked down or thrown; they are completely submerged. It appears that the word may have its origin ...

Finger-pointing on energy useless

Pennsylvanians are frustrated by rising electricity bills, and rightfully so. In a letter sent just this week, Gov. Josh Shapiro pointed to PJM, the regional transmission organization that manages our power grid, as the cause of these increases. In reality, energy costs more because we’re not producing enough of it. Before we point any fingers, it’s important to understand what PJM is, what it does and, most importantly, what it does not do. PJM is one of nine regional transmission operators (RTOs) in the United States and the largest in the nation. It coordinates electricity for ...

State needs more energy, sensible regulation

In July, nearly two dozen companies gathered in Pittsburgh, along with President Donald Trump and other leaders, to announce investments in data centers and needed energy infrastructure. Totaling more than $90 billion, the expenditures would equal nearly ten percent of Pennsylvania’s gross domestic product, inducing a headline that described the prospect as “truly mind-blowing.” Since then, some have begun erecting regulatory obstacles to this development. Presented as consumer protections, many are more likely to be economy killers — and “mind-blowing” for would-be ...

Bedford Springs delights with charm

A highly anticipated Christmas display in Pennsylvania that is both delicious and whimsical is when the Omni Bedford Springs Hotel in Bedford County transforms one of its main entrances into a culinary delight whose aroma hits your sensory palate long before you walk through the nearly 200-year-old front door. What began as a small decorative house has become a full-scale work of culinary art under executive pastry chef Harshal Naik. Known for his appearance on Food Network’s “Holiday Baking Championship,” he has taken it to the next level over the past five years. Guests and day ...

Affordability through abundance

“It is in the news, talked by our politicians: the issues of affordability, scarcity and the feeling of being left behind by many of our fellow citizens. Below, please consider my thoughts on the issue, The United States stands at an inflection point. Its institutions have not failed, but they have stalled—pulled between distrust and dependence, paralyzed by scarcity thinking in an era defined by possibility. The nation still commands the greatest accumulation of knowledge, capital, and human talent in history. Yet it struggles to translate those assets into shared prosperity, ...