Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania's Smooth Talking, Fence Riding Governor Is Simply Not Leading and It Shows

Guest Post by Lowman S. Henry of the Lincoln Institute.

Governor Josh Shapiro is proficient at glitzy news conferences, meticulously staged and replete with memorable sound bites such as his earthy line about getting stuff done. What he isn’t good at is providing the leadership necessary to actually get stuff done.

Fresh off the least productive legislative session in recent memory the governor is noted more for breaking a deal with Senate Republicans that triggered a lengthy budget stand-off than for anything he has in fact accomplished.

Two recent developments have again revealed his fecklessness in leading when the situation cries out for a strong executive presence: the proposed Nippon/U.S. Steel deal, and the high cost of electrical energy. The latter, of course, is driving the current inflationary cycle as energy is needed at every link in the supply chain.

The proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon steel is on life supports due to the questionable tactics of labor union leaders and political pandering. Union officials along with powerful political figures such as soon-to-be former President Joe Biden have been working to scuttle the deal on the specious claim that it is a national security risk.

It is notable that the same week Joe Biden deep-sixed the deal his administration was selling billions of dollars in armaments to Japan – a nation which is in fact our most significant ally in checking the growing threat of Chinese aggression.

Meanwhile, actual steel workers along with local mayors and with the critical support of state Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland), have been fighting to get the deal approved.

Approval of the deal would bring billions of dollars of investment into U.S. Steel’s southwestern Pennsylvania manufacturing facilities and cement the company’s headquarters presence in what will hopefully continue to be the Steel City.

Given the divide Governor Josh Shapiro has opted to remain firmly on the fence, issuing mealy-mouthed statements that amount to nothing. This is a case where strong leadership to bring the sides together forging an agreement that would keep U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh is sorely needed. But, despite the urging of Senator Ward the governor has failed to provide that leadership.

Governor Shapiro – who supports the radical green policies that have stifled energy production -- has filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission seeking to deflect the blame for higher electricity prices to the operations of the PJM power grid of which Pennsylvania is the largest consumer.

Notably, Shapiro continues to fight in court in an effort to keep Pennsylvania in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative or RGGI which is a multi-state compact theoretically designed to reduce carbon emissions. The real impact of the alliance, however, is to prompt the closure of coal fired power plants and suppress the development of power sources other than undependable and expensive so-called renewable energy.

RGGI would effectively place a carbon tax on electricity generated using fossil fuels resulting in a substantial further increase in consumer electric bills. Legislative leaders have gone to court arguing correctly that only lawmakers can impose taxes. They won the first round, but Shapiro has appealed and that ruling remains pending.

In the meantime, power plants are closing and given the uncertainty surrounding RGGI new investment has slowed to a trickle. Add in the skyrocketing demand for electrical energy especially from data-driven enterprises along with government fostered use of electric vehicles and you have the textbook environment for price inflation: too much demand chasing too little supply.

PJM is tasked with ensuring enough energy flows into the grid to supply demand. However, with Shapiro-supported policies constricting generation by fossil fuel and development of “renewables” being both slow and undependable PJM is now having to pay more to power producers.

According to The Center Square: “The grid operator’s most recent auction to secure enough power to meet demand in the coming year illustrated the point starkly: the cost to run the grid will climb 800% as of June 1, meaning utility bills will skyrocket by roughly 30%.”

To emphasize the point: YOUR electric bill will go up by roughly 30%.

Shapiro is attempting to place blame for the coming energy debacle on PJM and its procurement processes. The truth, however, is that Shapiro’s strict adherence to radical green climate change hysteria has resulted in policies and a market environment that will inevitably lead to higher prices and electric shortages.

So, as Pennsylvania jobs migrate to Ohio or southern states, and as your electric bill skyrockets while you sit in the dark during rolling blackouts look to Harrisburg and the lack of leadership emanating from the Governor’s mansion as the cause.

#KimWard #Pennsylvania #Shapiro #RGGI #Nippon #USsteel #PJM #SteelCity

(Lowman S. Henry is Chairman & CEO of the Lincoln Institute and host of the weekly American Radio Journal and Lincoln Radio Journal. His e-mail address is lhenry@lincolninstitute.org.)