Pennsylvania State Representative Martina White has criticized Governor Josh Shapiro following his recent comments about the PJM Interconnection, the regional power grid operator serving 65 million people across 13 states and Washington, D.C.
In a statement released after Governor Shapiro threatened to withdraw Pennsylvania from PJM if its management did not comply with his demands, White said, “Gov. Shapiro threatening PJM Interconnection unless it meets his political demands is reckless. PJM operates the electric grid for 65 million people across 13 states and Washington, D.C. Its responsibility is to keep the lights on — not to serve as a pawn in any one governor’s political agenda.”
White argued that PJM was created to ensure reliable energy delivery to eastern states and warned that interference by state leaders could disrupt operations. “PJM was designed to have one goal: provide reliable energy to the eastern states. If Shapiro or any governor succeeds in hijacking PJM’s governance, it will destabilize the market, increase the risk of blackouts and leave families with higher bills. PJM is the one who has been sounding the alarm,” she said.
She called on Governor Shapiro to support Republican-led initiatives such as withdrawing from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), halting new energy taxes, reducing regulations, and expediting permits for new electricity generation projects. According to White, these measures would address rising electricity costs and improve reliability amid growing demand driven by developments like data center construction.
“When supply is restricted and demand keeps rising, especially with electric-hungry data centers under construction, consumers are the ones left holding the bag,” White stated.
White also pointed out that threats against PJM would not solve underlying issues affecting electricity prices or supply. “Threatening PJM won’t produce a single megawatt of power, and it won’t lower a single family’s electric bill. Without more power generation being built and brought into the electric grid, families and manufacturers will continue to see annual increases like the 20% to 30% increase we saw in June. If Pennsylvania’s governor wants to lower energy prices and protect reliability, he should fix the broken state-level process that makes Pennsylvania a hostile place for investment in new generation energy production.”
She concluded by emphasizing that “PJM must remain focused on reliability. Families across Pennsylvania deserve affordable, dependable electricity — not more political games.”
