Environmental advocates, including two Democratic state representatives, say Pennsylvania can fill in the gaps where they believe the federal government has failed to protect the environment and residents from rising energy costs.
"We've all had to face these choices as costs have gone up. Our neighbors are struggling to make ends meet, working people need relief, and they can't wait for it any longer," said Kristin Volchansky, advocacy director at Action Together NEPA.
Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania and ActionTogether NEPA held a press conference in Stroudsburg, next to public EV chargers that were installed when now Rep. Tarah Probst was mayor of the borough. They demanded that state Senate Republicans take action on skyrocketing energy and gas prices, while urging for the protection of natural resources, especially those in the Poconos.
"Protecting the Pocono means looking at how we produce and use energy,” state Rep. Maureen Madden, D-115, said.
Madden said clean energy is not just about reducing pollution, but lowering energy costs, strengthening the local economy, protecting the resources and creating jobs.
"We need to do everything we can right now while we're here on this green earth, and keep it green, and keep it healthy for future generations,” Probst, D-189, said.
‘Our neighbors are struggling to make ends meet’
Action Together NEPA is a nonprofit grassroots, progressive organization dedicated to community action and political advocacy.
Volchansky said President Donald Trump’s administration canceled billions of dollars in clean energy investments, while Congress has eliminated home energy incentives for families.
In October, the Department of Energy canceled more than $7 billion in funding for hundreds of projects that the agency said don't address the country's energy needs and aren't economically viable, according to NPR.
"Washington is choosing to keep us hooked on fossil fuels and expensive fossil fuels that are driving up our bills," she said.
Here is what the Department of Energy has previously said about its policies.
Volchansky said today the average price of gas is around $4 a gallon and electric utility bills for residents in Northeast Pennsylvania have increased by more than 20% in the last year.
Action Together NEPA is a membership organization. Volchansky said some of those members have reported that they are struggling to pay for health insurance, rent, gas, childcare and electric bills.
She said they’ve heard that people are choosing between paying for prescriptions or groceries.
"We've all had to face these choices as costs have gone up. Our neighbors are struggling to make ends meet, working people need relief, and they can't wait for it any longer,” Volchansky said.
Data centers
Data centers are a hot topic when it comes to discussing energy consumption and utility rates in Pennsylvania.
Madden said the newest state budget only includes requirements for data centers to report on how much water and electricity they use.
She said the House has sent over 20-plus bills to the Senate on the issue, and that data centers need to be put in areas where they belong.
"So there's nowhere that you can put a data center in the Poconos that you're not going to disrupt the Lehigh watershed, the Broadhead watershed, and everything that flows down," she said. "So that's really my focus right now, is that they don't belong here at all.”
Probst agrees. Her district includes homes, tourist attractions and exception value waters.
"Someone's going to make a bunch of money, and then the system's going to collapse. It's billionaires doing business with billionaires, and it's leaving the rest of us behind," she said. "My thought on data centers is not in my district, not in my district.”
Call for action
Hanna Felber, federal campaign coordinator at Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, pointed out several house bills and one senate bill aimed to help Pennsylvanians and protect them from data centers. The bills include: House Bill 1834, House Bill 2150, House Bill 789, House Bill 705 and Senate Bill 485.
"The House has done its job, and these bills will lower costs. But now it's time for the Senate to take action," she said.
