• Pennsylvania State Sen. Gene Yaw warns of an impending electricity crisis due to the state’s lack of reliable baseload energy generation.
• Gov. Josh Shapiro’s energy policies, including the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative electricity tax and the premature shutdown of key power plants, are cited as exacerbating the crisis.
• The state faces a projected 80,000-megawatt shortfall in the next decade, threatening grid reliability and energy costs.
• Yaw criticizes the reliance on renewable energy sources like wind and solar, arguing they are unreliable and insufficient to meet the state’s energy needs.
• The state senator has introduced the Grid Stabilization and Security Act and plans to revive the Pennsylvania Baseload Energy Development Fund to address the shortfall, but faces opposition from Democrats.

Pennsylvania State Sen. Gene Yaw (R-District 23) has issued a dire warning: The Keystone State, once the epicenter of America’s energy dominance, is now hurtling toward a catastrophic electricity crisis.

The warning came in the form of an op-ed published Feb. 26 in the Delaware Valley Journal. Yaw’s warning zeroed in on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s energy policies, including the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) electricity tax and the premature shutdown of key power plants without a replacement strategy

The Republican blasted the energy agenda of Shapiro – a Democrat – that originally promised a “new era” of job creation, lower utility bills and billions in clean energy investment. But nearly a year later, Yaw pointed out that Pennsylvanians have seen little progress. Instead, Shapiro’s policies have exacerbated the crisis by promoting short-term fixes while ignoring the root cause: a lack of reliable baseload energy generation.

“The governor is right, doing nothing is not an option,” the state lawmaker wrote. “However, doing the wrong thing over and over again increases the magnitude of the problem.”

Yaw pointed to Shapiro’s push for RGGI, a carbon tax initiative, and the abrupt closure of thermal baseload power plants as key drivers of the impending grid collapse. “When supply does not meet the anticipated demand, prices increase,” the state senator noted, emphasizing the basic economic principle of supply and demand.

“We must encourage and implement construction of thermal baseload electric generation capacity now,” Yaw ended his op-ed with this call. “I hope the governor joins us in this effort.”

Shapiro’s policies jeopardize the Keystone State’s energy future

The state senator’s stark assessment comes as the state faces a projected 80,000-megawatt shortfall in the next decade, threatening grid reliability and skyrocketing energy costs for Pennsylvanians. The Keystone State supplies 25 percent of the region’s power, but it has no new power plants under construction or in development to meet the growing demand.

Yaw estimates that at least 20 new 1,000-megawatt plants are needed to maintain the state’s position as a reliable energy supplier. Yet, since RGGI was proposed, there has been no new investment in baseload energy generation.

Yaw’s criticism extends to Shapiro’s reliance on renewable energy sources like wind and solar. These sources, the state senator argues, are unreliable and insufficient to meet the state’s energy needs.

“Saying we must diversify our energy sources and create clean, reliable, and affordable energy is doing nothing but rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Wind, solar, batteries and other unproven, unreliable sources do not answer this one question: where does my electricity come from at 3 a.m. on a cold, calm winter night?” (Related: Fossil fuels rescue New England from winter’s grip amid failed “net zero” push.)

The senator’s warnings are echoed by PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator, which has forecast a massive wave of power plant closures driven by federal and state climate policies. Up to 58 gigawatts of coal and natural gas plants are at risk of closing by 2030, representing more than 20 percent of PJM’s total generation capacity.

“We are racing towards the iceberg and have no plan to slow down, let alone stop, before we get there,” Yaw warned. He has introduced the Grid Stabilization and Security Act and plans to revive the Pennsylvania Baseload Energy Development Fund to address the shortfall. However, these measures have faced opposition from Democrats, leaving the state’s energy future in jeopardy.

Without immediate action, Pennsylvanians could face soaring electricity prices, deadly blackouts and a future where the Keystone State’s energy legacy is nothing more than a relic of the past.

Watch U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) explaining to Larry Kudlow that lowering energy costs will lower the cost of goods in turn.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Energy costs could rise by 50% in Pennsylvania starting this month.

Power grid operator reports record-high electricity demand amid winter freeze.

The Great Green Rebranding: How climate activists are trading “save the planet” for “save your wallet.”

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

DelawareValleyJournal.com

NationalReview.com

Brighteon.com