“Competitive energy markets have delivered reliable, affordable power to millions of PJM consumers for decades,” said Sen. Yaw. “State mandates and artificial price controls distort those markets, discourage investment and ultimately drive-up costs. PJM should remain focused on preserving the current structure and reject these misguided and short-sighted recommendations that undermine reliability and affordability."
The letter, addressed to PJM President and CEO Manu Asthana, responds directly to the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators’ September 29th letter, which called for PJM to accelerate the connection of wind and solar projects.
[Editor’s Note: The September 29 letter was signed by 107 state lawmakers from the PJM region. Read more here.
[Utility Dive reported Jeffrey Shields, a PJM spokesman, said in an email that PJM has testified to Congress twice this year that it will need all available capacity, including renewable energy, to meet its resource adequacy needs. Read more here.
[The Solar Energy Industries Association reported Congressional Republican cuts to federal funding for renewable energy projects has resulted in blocking 125 gigawatts of solar power from getting to the grid. Read more here.
[The only fuel promoted by PA Republicans has been natural gas which is already used to fire 60% of the state’s electric generation capacity. Read more here.
[The overreliance on this one fuel, instead of a diverse generation fuel mix, is causing steadily increasing electricity prices. Read more here.]
Sen. Yaw and his colleagues warn that favoring these intermittent sources over proven baseload generation resources like natural gas, coal and nuclear would jeopardize grid stability and increase costs for ratepayers.
[Editor’s Note: Rep. Thomas Mehaffie (R-Dauphin) said at a May House hearing-- “[Natural] gas is not baseload power. Read more here.
[“Baseload power means that you have ample fuel supply for over three months [on site]. So coal and nuke are the only two that are baseload power on demand.
[“And I get there's plenty of gas out there, but that's all on demand. They can shut it off and turn it on as they want, but that fuel supply is not there for them,” said Rep. Mehaffie, [As we have seen in multiple severe winter weather events.] Read more here.]
[Locking Up Existing Electric Generation
[Editor’s Note: Not addressed in the Senators’ letter is the fact that multiple, existing gas, nuclear and hydroelectric plants in Pennsylvania are being locked up for the exclusive use of A.I. data centers and effectively taken off the grid. Read more here.
[Power from all five Pennsylvania’s nuclear power plants is being locked up for exclusive use by A.I. data centers: Three Mile Island (the project that started the data center “power stampede”), Beaver Valley, Peach Bottom, Susquehanna Station and Limerick.
[The July Pittsburgh A.I. Summit alone included announcements of multiple power plant deals for existing power plants and announcements of new power plants being developed exclusively for data centers, not “ordinary people” and the grid. Read more here.]
The legislators encouraged PJM to carefully weigh long-term impacts of any market changes, enact rigorous project feasibility standards and conduct deeper industry analysis before adopting any sweeping changes.
Click Here for a copy of the letter.
Click Here for Sen. Yaw’s announcement.
Resource Links - Locking Up Existing Generation:
-- Rise Of The Machines: Senate, House Members Express Concern That Demand For Power To Run Computers Is Impacting The Price And Availability Of Electricity For ‘Ordinary People’ [5.12.25]
-- List Of More Than $90 Billion In Energy, A.I. Data Center Investments, Commitments Or Plans Announced At The PA Energy & Innovation Summit [7.15.25]
-- House Committee Told PA Needs An Energy Policy, Doing Nothing Means We Are Going To Run Out Of Power; Overreliance On One Fuel-- Gas-- Is Raising Electricity Prices [5.19.25]
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - October 11 [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - October 18 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 85 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In October 11 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 64 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In October 18 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- Rep. Vitali Introduces Legislation To Increase Setbacks From Unconventional Shale Gas Wells From 500 Feet To 2,500 Feet From Homes, 5,000 Feet From Schools, Hospitals [PaEN]
-- Inquirer Editorial: The Language Of ‘Opportunity’ Surrounding Shale Gas Fracking And A.I. Data Centers Sounds Distressingly Familiar As PA Joins Rush To Latest Promised Economic Boom [PaEN]
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - October 20 [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Sabre Energy Chapter 105 Permit For Proposed Shale Gas Water Withdrawal On Exceptional Value Muncy Creek In Penn Twp., Lycoming County [PaEN]
-- DEP Proposes To Deny Eureka Resources Water Quality Permit Renewal For Standing Stone Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facility In Bradford County [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues Approvals For Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company Northeast Supply Enhancement Quarryville Pipeline Loop, Compressor Station In Chester, Lancaster Counties [PaEN]
-- Inside Climate News: New Jersey Officials Consider New Permit Requests For Transcontinental Northeastern Supply Enhancement Pipeline
-- DEP published notice in the October 11 PA Bulletin announcing an opportunity to bid on plugging 44 abandoned conventional oil and gas wells in the Allegheny National Forest in Highland Township, Elk County at taxpayer expense. Mandatory pre-bid meeting October 22 and 23. Click Here for bid document.
-- DEP Invites Comments On Homer City Generation Chapter 105 Permit Covering Permanent Loss Of 441 Feet Of Stream To Develop Part Of A.I. Data Center Campus In Indiana County [PaEN]
-- Delaware RiverKeeper Network Files Lawsuit Challenging DRBC Gibbstown LNG Gas Export Facility Dock Permit [PaEN]
-- Environmental Groups, Citizens Request DEP To Hold Public Hearing On The First Title V Air Quality Permit For Tenaska Natural Gas Power Plant In Westmoreland County [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Sets Oct. 29 Hearing On Proposed 2026 Program Fees And 15 Water Withdrawals, Including 3 For Shale Gas Development [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves Water Withdrawal Requests For 11 Shale Gas Development Operations, 2 Power Plants [PaEN]
-- State Fire Commissioner Makes $250,000 Available To Help Fire, Rescue And EMS First Responders Prepare For Gas Well Fires, Explosions
-- PUC Approves 6.6% Philadelphia Gas Works Rate Increase, Keeps Weather Normalization Adjustment; PGW Required To Develop A 'Pathway' For Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Inside Climate News - Kiley Bense: Scientists Find Evidence PA Townships’ Water Contaminated By Shale Gas Frack-Out [Townships Declare Disaster Emergency]
-- PennLive Letter: Some PA Lawmakers Are Trying To Silence Local Voices On Shale Gas Development - By Dr. Barbara Brandom, Concerned Health Professionals Of PA
-- The Allegheny Front: Shale Gas Drilling Waste Again Poses Threat To Monongahela River [Westmoreland Landfill]
-- Tribune-Democrat: New US Policy Pulls Back From Renewable Energy Just As Demand Swells [Part I] [PDF of Article]
-- Warren Times Observer Guest Essay: Natural Gas, A.I. Data Centers And The Future Of Pennsylvania’s Economy - By Kurt Knaus, PA Energy Infrastructure Alliance [PDF of Article]
-- PennLive Letter: Gov. Shapiro’s Natural Gas Claims For A.I. Data Centers Don’t Hold Water - By Karen Feridun, Better Path Coalition
-- Inside Climate News: New Jersey Officials Consider New Permit Requests For Transcontinental Northeastern Supply Enhancement Pipeline
-- The Derrick: New Energy Demands From A.I. Data Centers Takes Center Stage At Drake Energy Dialogues [PDF of Article]
-- Warren Times: Shale Gas Driller PA General Energy Makes $600 Donation To Support Warren Student ‘Containment Zone’ Haunted House Fundraiser [PDF of Article]
-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Carnegie Mellon Research Behind New Global Map Of Power Plant, Refinery, Other Air Pollution
-- Ohio River Valley Institute: New Report On State Implementation On Federally-Funded Methane Emissions Reduction Conventional Oil & Gas Well Plugging Program
-- WV Governor Morrisey: West Virginia, Diversified Energy Launch First-Of-Its-Kind Conventional Well Plugging Fund
-- Wall Street Journal: West Virginia To Unveil Privately Funded Oil & Gas Well Plugging Fund To Retire 20,000 Conventional Wells [Diversified Energy] [PDF of Article]
-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.04 Ohio- $2.82 PA- $3.21 [10.18.25]
-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National - $3.08 Ohio- $2.77 PA- $3.26 [10.11.25]
-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs - 17 - Same For 3 Weeks [10.18.25]
-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs - 17 - Same As Last Week [10.11.25]
-- US EIA Forecasts 36.6% Increase In Natural Gas Prices By January 2026
-- US EIA: Winter Fuels Outlook: Electricity Costs In Mid-Atlantic Expected To Increase 6% Driven By Increases In Natural Gas Costs, Rapid Demand Growth [A.I. Data Centers]
-- WJAC: Natural Gas Leak Prompts Lengthy Repair, Evacuations In Downtown Ebensburg
-- Post-Gazette: White Powder Found In Envelope At Peoples Natural Gas Was Flour, Employees Briefly Sheltered In Place
-- Beaver Times: Report Says Shell Petrochemical Plant Falling Short On Promises
-- Financial Times: Energy Companies To Spend $50 Billion On 8,800 Miles Of New Pipelines In US To Fulfill A.I. Data Center, LNG Gas Export Demands
-- Bloomberg: JP Morgan: US Can’t Generate The Power It Needs Without Wind, Solar
-- Bloomberg: IEA Raises Its Estimate For Record Oil, Natural Gas Liquids Oversupply In 2026
[Posted: October 16, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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