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Electric bills too high? Bad energy policies are to blame

Hot enough for you? If this muggy Pennsylvania heat doesn’t have you sweating, your monthly electricity bills will. Power usage surged during recent heat waves, pushing electricity demand “to its highest level in 14 years,” according to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. This power surge, the commission concluded, will “soon be reflected in monthly electric bills.” But there’s another issue these higher electricity bills reflect: bad energy policies. Pennsylvania has abundant energy resources (e.g., natural gas, coal, nuclear, etc.). However, an unfortunate ...

Unsung heroes of Pennsylvania’s conservatism

Eileen Cunningham is a mother of four and grandmother of three with another on the way. The wife of “Goose” Cunningham -- when you are from Hazelwood, everyone has a nickname -- possesses the unique quality of bringing people together to form communities. How? The natural athlete coached girls’ hockey, track and field, cross country and basketball at the school her children attended when no one else stepped up. An engineer by trade, a substitute teacher by design, she also coached coed soccer and even cheerleading at the same school district. If your child has ever ...

How Pennsylvania can be power behind AI, data center boom

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the American economy, and it’s being powered by Pennsylvania’s natural gas. Last month Pittsburgh made national headlines as U.S. Senator Dave McCormick and President Trump announced more than $90 billion in private capital investments, but many of those announcements target energy and AI infrastructure in Northcentral and Northeastern Pennsylvania. Home to 53% of Pennsylvania’s total natural gas production, this region of the Commonwealth is becoming the backbone of America’s AI and data center revolution. But it’ll require collaboration ...

Which state was ranked the most economically free in 2025?

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) recently released its 2025 Freedom Index Rankings for states. SEL is a global leader in power system protection, automation and control solutions. The SEL report ranks the most economically and politically free states in the nation. It utilizes data from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the Cato Institute, and various government agencies to identify the optimal business and trade environments nationwide. SEL found that Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana are attractive states, but Washington continues to trend in the wrong direction ...

Now it’s time to play ‘who do you trust’

We all like to win and we realize going into a game that there are rules. But if you’re losing, it’s not as much fun. In politics and government, if you’re losing, it’s not just no fun, it’s sometimes aggravating to the point that you are desperate. The question becomes, “What can I do to turn this around?” Easy answer: change the rules or just outright break them. That’s what Republicans are now doing. The rules, in this case, include the Constitution and the laws that we have enacted since 1776. For example: Generally states redraw districts every ten years after a ...

Governor shouldn’t get in the way of state’s energy momentum

All eyes were on Pennsylvania last week for the “Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit” – an event highlighting what role the commonwealth’s energy sector will play in the future of artificial intelligence and other technological advancements. The event featured prominent political figures, such as President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. David McCormick, and Gov. Josh Shapiro. Yet, one of these things is most certainly not like the others – especially when it comes to energy policy. Shapiro, the lone Democrat to present at the forum, stood out like a vegetarian at a ...