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Gas prices have risen, inflation has devalued our spending power and we're seemingly -- finally -- exiting a pandemic that wrecked our economy.
So what does Gov. Tom Wolf want to do?
Recklessly destroy the state's energy industry and drive up more of our costs by forcing Pennsylvania into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multi-state compact that would require energy suppliers to pay for carbon emissions credits in order to keep producing energy.
This, from the same guy whose economic master plan for the state during the pandemic was worse than most, and did little other than harm.
Thankfully, Commonwealth Court has stepped in and put a stop to Wolf's plan. In an unsigned order, the court barred official publication of the regulation "pending further order of the court," agreeing with Republican lawmakers -- hampered by state Democrats who are more interested in agenda than energy -- that the regulation without the legislature's blessing exceeded the governor's authority.
Not surprisingly, Wolf quickly appealed to the highly partisan state Supreme Court, looking for a favorable ruling. Surprisingly, the high court did not immediately cave to his request, and has yet to schedule a hearing on the matter.
The rule, if permitted to go forward, would required fossil fuel-fired power plants to pay a price for every ton of carbon dioxide they emit starting July 1. The nonpartisan Independent Fiscal Office, citing data provided by the state Department of Environmental Protection, concurred that electric bills would rise if the rule went into effect.
Proponents of the carbon credits believe it would speed up the process of shifting Pennsylvania to clean energy, while at the same time taking a step to reduce climate change.
If the technology we have available to us allowed wind, water and sun to fulfill all of our energy needs, it's reasonable to assume we would make the change. Just as fossil fuels make up a significant part of our economy -- the state is No. 2 in natural gas production and No. 3 in coal mining -- these other industries could supplant them.
Interestingly, the same people who want to tax coal, oil and gas out of business don't seem to notice the environmental impact of wind farms or solar farms, and historically have been among the loudest objectors to nuclear energy, which is among the cleanest we can produce in bulk with current technology.
But technology has not caught up with the desire to produce the energy we need to survive as a state, or for that matter, as a nation -- especially when the U.S. is already among the world's leaders at reducing greenhouse gases.