Pennsylvania House Advances Energy Bills as Prices Rise and Senate Deadline Nears

Pennsylvania faces rising electricity prices and concerns that power generation is not keeping pace with demand, prompting House Democrats to urge action on energy-efficiency, clean-energy, grid and battery-storage bills that remain stalled in the Senate. Supporters say measures such as battery storage could reduce peak demand and bills, while critics question the projected savings and costs; some Senate-passed proposals are also awaiting action in the House. A revised House Bill 1667 would create a fee on certain large energy users to fund annual ratepayer rebates and establish a residential clean-energy tax credit, but it omits a repeal of the data-center tax exemption and a proposed pause in the gross-receipts tax on electric bills. With Senate voting days remaining before the election, the legislation’s fate is uncertain, while Democrats say winning control of the state government could open a path for broader climate and energy proposals.