News & Brews July 16, 2025
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Energy and Innovation Summit looks to Pa.’s future
Speaking at yesterday’s Energy and Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh, hosted by U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, President Trump said Pennsylvania is “reclaiming its industrial heritage” and “[t]aking its place at the forefront of the AI technological revolution.” The comments came amid announcements by major companies of more than $90 billion in spending in Pennsylvania. The Tribune-Review reports that the money will go to “data centers, energy and power infrastructure, and workforce and AI training projects across Pennsylvania.” See the list here.
VP Vance coming to Pa. today to promote OBBB
The AP reports that Vice President JD Vance is coming to Pennsylvania today to promote President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill “in a working-class district that could see a ferocious congressional campaign next year.” That district, in northeastern Pa., is held by Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, who defeated incumbent Democrat Rep. Matt Cartwright last year. Democrats plan to target Bresnahan’s seat next year.
On energy, Pa. can learn from the Bayou State
Pennsylvania is the second largest natural gas producing state, behind Texas. But third-place Louisiana has a few lessons we should study. Commonwealth Foundation Vice President of Policy Elizabeth Stelle writes that Louisiana “recently signed Act 462—a bill that reclassifies natural gas as ‘green energy’—into law,” joining “three other states—Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee—that officially recognize natural gas as a reliable, affordable, and clean-burning energy source.” Louisiana is also investing in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Meanwhile, while Pennsylvania “produces twice as much natural gas as Louisiana,” we are “stuck in an uncomfortable limbo.”
Independents sue over primary elections
In Pennsylvania, primary elections are the mechanism through which major parties nominate their candidates. As such, members of those parties are able to vote for their respective party’s nominee. It takes about 5 seconds to declare a party affiliation. But independent voters who refuse to declare a party affiliation are mad that they can’t participate in internal party elections. So, four of them are suing. They’ve asked the state Supreme Court to say that the current system violates the Pennsylvania constitution. It’s not that these folks can’t vote in primaries. They can. It’s that they don’t want to follow the rules required to vote in primaries. Big difference. Of course, a simple-if-not-easy solution would be for government to stop funding and running primary elections, as they are internal party elections.
Pa. Senate has no plans to pass House budget as is
After the Pa. House sent the state Senate a reckless, $50 billion budget bill that increases spending by $2.9 billion with no way to pay for it, the Senate has no plans to embrace the bill. The Center Square reports that the bill “isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, according to Kate Flessner, spokeswoman for Senate Republicans.” The story adds, “All parties seemed to agree that the budget is not complete, but all signaled a desire to move the legislative process forward.” What that forward motion looks like remains to be seen.