CLEAN AIR COUNCIL STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR SHAPIRO’S LIGHTNING PLAN ANNOUNCEMENT

HARRISBURG, PA (April 25, 2025) – This week, Pennsylvania legislators introduced six bills as part of Governor Shapiro’s “Lightning Plan,” which was announced in January. These bills include policies for enhancing the siting, production, and usage of renewable and fossil fuel energy sources alike and updating an outdated energy efficiency program. 

Despite growing energy demand from data centers leading to an increased need for clean, reliable energy, only 3% of Pennsylvania’s energy currently comes from renewable sources. Legislation in the Lightning Plan, namely the Pennsylvania Renewable Energy Standards and Sustainability (PRESS), the Reliable Energy Siting and Electric Transition Board (RESET), and the Community Energy bills have the potential to greatly promote the deployment of affordable, renewable energy in Pennsylvania while creating good-paying jobs.

Alex Bomstein, Clean Air Council Executive Director, issued the following statement:

“Our Commonwealth is experiencing an ever-increasing demand for energy that is clean and affordable, especially as more extreme weather events threaten the reliability of gas-fired power plants and as we fail to take aggressive action against polluting industries that increase energy demand while contributing to climate change. These bills that are part of Governor Shapiro’s Lightning Plan are overall an important step in tackling this issue. However, it is critical that Pennsylvania prioritize renewable energy over adding more unreliable fossil fuels to our grid. We look forward to working with the Governor’s office and the Legislature to ensure this plan helps realize new, clean energy projects that keep our air clean, our communities healthy, and our energy affordable.”