PRINTER'S NO. 1648
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
295
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY COLEMAN, PENNYCUICK, ARGALL, FLYNN, VOGEL,
PHILLIPS-HILL, BROWN AND CULVER, MAY 29, 2024
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, MAY 29, 2024
A RESOLUTION
Directing the Joint State Government Commission, along with the
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the Department of
Community and Economic Development and the Department of
Environmental Protection, to conduct an assessment and
develop recommendations with the intention of establishing a
comprehensive State energy strategy for this Commonwealth.
WHEREAS, Electricity is a basic need, essential to every
resident, business and community in Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's economy and ability to sustain a
competitive business environment and build strong communities
relies on affordable, reliable and resilient production,
transmission and delivery of electricity; and
WHEREAS, Businesses, communities and homeowners benefit from
and demand energy supply availability from a diverse portfolio
of resources to support the delivery of reliable electricity 24
hours per day, 7 days per week and 365 days per year; and
WHEREAS, Federal and State policies to integrate renewable
resources have spurred the rapid evolution of scalable
nonthermal energy resources regionally, in PJM Interconnection,
LLC (PJM), the regional transmission organization of which
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Pennsylvania electric utilities are founding members; and
WHEREAS, As the PJM markets continue to integrate an
accelerated new resource mix, resource adequacy, generator
performance and supply reliability have been called into
question as a total of 40 gigawatts of reliable, dispatchable
generation are anticipated to be retired by 2030; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is the largest net exporter of
generation in PJM, and regional generation retirements, whether
driven by State policies within PJM, Federal policies or
economic factors, could result in a gap between the available
generation resources in PJM and the number of megawatts required
to meet regional system load; and
WHEREAS, The ability of PJM to maintain a robust, transparent
and nondiscriminatory wholesale market is essential to the
success of Pennsylvania's competitive electricity market; and
WHEREAS, PJM and its market rules are regulated by the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); and
WHEREAS, Certain recent actions by FERC and PJM could lead to
higher costs to Pennsylvania consumers, jeopardize reliability
in the region and erode the benefits Pennsylvania has achieved
since the passage of the Electricity Generation Customer Choice
and Competition Act in 1996; and
WHEREAS, PJM and other electric grid operators, serving more
than 40% of the United States population in 35 states and the
District of Columbia, are calling on regulators to strengthen
natural gas networks and market rules to help prevent energy
emergencies related to weather conditions such as winter storms;
and
WHEREAS, National trade associations representing natural gas
suppliers and marketers, interstate natural gas pipelines and
20240SR0295PN1648 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
competitive natural-gas-fired generators have proposed changes
in gas markets to mitigate the threat to continued supplies in
extreme weather; and
WHEREAS, PJM, like all regional transmission organizations,
is a voluntary organization and Pennsylvania's utilities can
leave PJM's markets if those markets are no longer supportive of
Pennsylvania's energy policies; and
WHEREAS, It is in the interest of this Commonwealth to
proactively evaluate the changing generation mix, both in
Pennsylvania and in PJM, and develop recommendations for a State
energy plan that ensures resource adequacy while also driving
economic development in this Commonwealth; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate direct the Joint State Government
Commission, in consultation with the Pennsylvania Public Utility
Commission, along with the Department of Community and Economic
Development and the Department of Environmental Protection, to
conduct an assessment and issue recommendations that can serve
as the basis for a comprehensive State energy strategy, which
shall include:
(1) An evaluation of Pennsylvania's electric utility
participation in PJM, including benefits, risks and costs to
the energy security of this Commonwealth.
(2) An evaluation of the options available to
Pennsylvania under current Federal law and PJM tariffs that
would allow Pennsylvania to remain in PJM without
compromising the Commonwealth's energy policy.
(3) An evaluation of the options available to
Pennsylvania if its utilities left PJM and the possible
benefits and consequences associated with such an action.
(4) An evaluation of Pennsylvania's advocacy efforts
20240SR0295PN1648 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
before PJM and FERC to determine if they are sufficiently
advancing the Commonwealth's interests.
(5) An evaluation of Pennsylvania's options under State
law to secure a reliable supply of power for the
Commonwealth's consumers in the face of other states'
policies that reduce the available supply of power in the PJM
region.
(6) Identification of the need for new and existing
energy generation resources to serve current and expected
load growth in this Commonwealth, including future economic
development and growth in high-energy use sectors, such as
advanced manufacturing, health care and data centers.
(7) A review of Pennsylvania's current generation
capacity, the actual portfolio mixes from 5, 10 and 15 years
ago, and the forecasted change to the portfolio for 5, 10 and
15 years in the future.
(8) A review of the need for additional electrical
transmission and natural gas pipeline infrastructure, as well
as increased coordination between electric and natural gas
markets, to ensure adequate electric generation capacity in
this Commonwealth.
(9) A review of current State energy programs and
mandates in light of Federal energy policies, including the
act of October 15, 2008 (P.L.1592, No.129) (Act 129), and
recommendations of what should be created, eliminated or
modified to advance electricity resource adequacy,
reliability and affordability in this Commonwealth.
(10) Proposed actions that may be taken to enable the
commercialization and deployment of new generation
technologies to sustain and promote the availability of
20240SR0295PN1648 - 4 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
generation resources required to meet customer demand in this
Commonwealth today and in the future, including carbon
capture and sequestration technologies, small modular nuclear
reactors, long duration energy storage solutions and
hydrogen.
(11) A review of alternative energy portfolio standards
mandates from Act 129, how they compare to our neighboring
states, and the impact that those mandates have had on
generation capacity in this Commonwealth and our neighbors to
include an analysis of baseload generation capacity.
(12) Consultation with Federal and other State agencies
as necessary, as well as PJM, academic institutions, business
and energy sector representatives and other relevant
stakeholders deemed by the Joint State Government Commission
as necessary to represent the diverse energy and economic
interests of this Commonwealth;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission, on
behalf of itself, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission,
the Department of Community and Economic Development and the
Department of Environmental Protection, submit its final report
no later than 12 months after the adoption of this resolution to
the following:
(1) The Governor.
(2) The chairperson of the Pennsylvania Public Utility
Commission.
(3) The Secretary of Community and Economic Development.
(4) The Secretary of Environmental Protection.
(5) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee of
20240SR0295PN1648 - 5 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
the Senate.
(6) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Environmental Resources and Energy Committee of the Senate.
(7) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee of
the House of Representatives.
(8) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Environmental Resources and Energy Committee of the House of
Representatives.
20240SR0295PN1648 - 6 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9