Schools are letting out and the summer driving season is officially here. Families across Pennsylvania are packing up their cars for long-awaited road trips, visits to loved ones, and well-deserved vacations.
But instead of looking forward to the road ahead, working families are feeling dread when they pull up to the pump. Gas and energy prices are skyrocketing, throwing a wrench into summer plans and straining household budgets that are already stretched thin.
This isn’t a temporary streak of bad luck. It is the result of President Donald Trump's energy agenda and the actions of his allies in Congress, who have undermined investments in clean energy while doubling down on fossil fuel dependence. Rather than looking out for everyday Americans, the Trump administration's energy agenda is lining the pockets of their billionaire oil and gas donors — making them wealthier at our direct expense.
We had a roadmap to lower costs.
Over the past few years, historic federal investments were unleashed to build a resilient, domestic clean energy economy, pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into scaling up wind power, expanding solar infrastructure and making electric vehicles more accessible. These investments were designed to diversify our energy grid and drive down utility and fuel costs right now.
How Trump's energy policies are raising costs
Donald Trump promised lower energy prices. Instead, Pennsylvania families are paying more at the gas pump and facing rising electricity costs.
Rather than building on historic investments in solar, wind, battery storage, and electric vehicles, Trump and his allies in Congress have worked to dismantle many of the programs designed to lower costs and strengthen American energy independence.
These rollbacks have slowed the transition to cleaner, cheaper energy sources and left consumers more exposed to the volatility of global oil markets.
At the same time, we are facing a dual crisis of supply and demand that the administration has failed to manage. On the domestic front, the rapid and unmanaged growth of energy-intensive data centers is putting an unprecedented strain on our electricity grid, driving up demand and costs.
The administration's foreign policy decisions have also contributed to uncertainty in global energy markets.
As tensions and conflict involving Iran have escalated, global oil supplies have faced increasing disruption. Because gasoline prices are tied to global oil markets, Pennsylvania families end up paying the price.
This is a reminder that fossil fuel dependence does not create true energy independence. As long as our economy remains tied to oil, families will remain vulnerable to international conflicts and price spikes.
Clean Energy Means Lower Costs and Energy Independence
Because the Trump administration has prioritized the interests of oil and gas executives over working families, Pennsylvania cannot afford to wait for federal action.
We must reject Trump’s regressive federal energy policies and demand that our lawmakers in Harrisburg step up.
State lawmakers should move forward with policies that expand solar and wind energy, establish community solar, modernize the electric grid, and make it easier for families to adopt electric vehicles.
Clean energy is cheaper than fossil fuels. And electric vehicles save families more than $1,000 a year in fuel and maintenance costs.
The clean energy revolution isn’t just good for the planet — it’s good for our wallets.
This summer, as we watch the numbers increase rapidly at the gas pump, let it serve as a wake-up call. True energy security means investing in a clean, sustainable future right here at home.
Pennsylvania Senate Republicans Must Stop Blocking low-cost renewable energy
And while Democrats in the state House of Representatives have repeatedly advanced measures to expand EV charging infrastructure and establish community solar in our commonwealth, Senate Republicans have time and again refused to take up legislation designed to save their constituents money.
Instead, they have aligned themselves with the most extreme elements of the Trump agenda, putting the profits of their donors ahead of the wellbeing of Pennsylvania families.
This gridlock must end. It’s time for Harrisburg to lead the way and deliver the relief Pennsylvania families deserve.