News & Brews April 7, 2025
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Pa. ranks poorly on energy affordability
The Center Square relays that per a new report from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Pennsylvania ranks only 32nd in energy affordability. “The report says the average retail price is 11.86 cents per kilowatt-hour. Total retail sales in megawatt-hours are 145 million. Natural gas (55%), nuclear (32%), coal (10%), wind (2%) and hydroelectric (1%) represent the top generation sources.” Why the poor ranking? “ALEC says existing policies, such as a renewable portfolio standard and net metering, that are meant to wean the state off fossil fuels have made affordability worse.”
WSJ Editorial: ‘Low politics over U.S. Steel’
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board isn’t fond of Cleveland-Cliffs’ use of “political manipulation and protection” in its bid to purchase U.S. Steel. “In January,” the Ed Board writes, “the Cleveland-based hedge fund Ancora launched a proxy battle to install allies of Cleveland-Cliffs on the U.S. Steel board.” Meanwhile, “U.S. Steel says Ancora wants control of its board ‘to force a low-premium and highly uncertain transaction with Cleveland-Cliffs with critical antitrust risk.’” And Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves “has boasted that his goal is to eliminate U.S. Steel as a competitor so it has more leverage to raise prices.”
Pa. conservatives gather for annual conference
At the annual Pennsylvania Leadership Conference in Camp Hill this past weekend, attendees heard from state and national figures on topics ranging from school choice and energy production to election integrity, civil justice reform, and of course the Trump administration and DOGE. The topic of who might challenge Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro in 2026 was also front and center. The progressive Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that Treasurer Stacy Garrity and U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser both brought their “potential gubernatorial pitches” to the conference, while the liberal LNP reports that GOP state Sen. Scott Martin (Lancaster and Berks counties) did not rule out a run.
COVID relief, opioid settlement funds went to LGBTQ program
As you hear states cry foul over the possible ending of federal COVID relief funds (because, you know, government funding is supposed to be eternal), here’s some interesting news. The Delaware Valley Journal reports that $630,000 in tax dollars given to Pa. as part of federal COVID relief funding went to support a Planned Parenthood Rainbow Room, “which bills itself as a club for LGBTQ teenagers.” The DVJ also reports that “Bucks County gave $13,500 in opioid settlement funds” to Planned Parenthood for the Rainbow Room. The Rainbow Room is open to children as young as 10, and it “made headlines when it held a queer prom where gift bags with condoms, dental dams, and lubrication were handed out to participants ages 14 to 21.”
‘Josh Shapiro keeps betraying poor children’
An op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by the Commonwealth Foundation’s Rachel Langan takes Gov. Josh Shapiro to task for his abandonment of Pennsylvania’s schoolchildren. “While campaigning in 2022, Mr. Shapiro promised to pass Lifeline Scholarships,” Langan writes. “The scholarships would give low-income children in failing public schools between $5,000 and $10,000 to pay for safe and high-quality private schools…. But Mr. Shapiro still hasn’t signed Lifeline Scholarships into law.” The problem? He doesn’t want to upset some of his favorite donors: government unions.