At one time or another, most of us have seen this scenario play out in an NFL game:
One player pushes, slaps or even punches another player. That player then pushes, slaps or even punches the player that fouled him. The ref, of course, misses the first personal foul but does see the retaliation. And for that, that player is flagged and his team is penalized 15 yards.
That scenario is analogous to the behavior of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as of late.
The Shapiro administration filed a complaint last month with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) against PJM Interconnection. That’s the agency that coordinates the flow of wholesale electricity in Pennsylvania, and all or parts of 11 other states and the District of Columbia.
The complaint alleges PJM’s “capacity auction” practices could unnecessarily cost consumers billions of dollars.
But PJM, in a badly needed point of order, says the problem is a classic supply-and-demand issue created by “policy choices that are pushing resources off the system along with data center and electrification demand growth.”
Allow us to translate:
The green weenies of the “climate change” debate, successful in varying degrees in reducing fossil-fuel powered electricity generation and, in the process, pushing, slapping and punching the electricity supply, now are claiming PJM is doing the pushing, slapping and punching.
How’s that for a neat political stunt? You create a problem then blame others for the predictable consequences of your dubious and economically ignorant actions.
The cluster-cluck has not been lost on State Sen. Joe Pittman, the chamber’s Republican leader.
As Pittman reminded in the Post-Gazette, “You cannot have baseload generation without carbon-emitting sources. It’s just the reality. Solar panels and windmills don’t cut it. Our nuclear fleet is stagnant at best.”
He tells the P-G that Democrats have promoted electric vehicles and data center-supporting policies — ones that create more electricity demand — while shunning initiatives that would create new electricity supply from traditional sources.
“There are ways for us to deal with consumer costs of electricity outside of legal machinations,” he said.
Indeed, PJM has had its issues over the years. The fragility of the grid and, with it, potential vulnerability to bad actors remain of paramount concern.
But that Shapiro & Co. have chosen to scapegoat PJM for their own market-perverting activities is outrageously shameful.
Colin McNickle is communications and marketing director at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy (cmcnickle@alleghenyinstitute.org).
