Senator Dawn Keefer Rejects Governor Shapiro’s “Lightning Plan”as Costly Overreach

State Senator Dawn Keefer (R-31) offered the following statement on a “Lightning Plan” announced today by Governor Josh Shapiro that would threaten the state’s economy, hurt small businesses, and raise energy costs: 

“Today, Gov. Josh Shapiro rolled out his ‘Lightning Plan’ at Voith Hydro in my district, touting it as some visionary fix for Pennsylvania’s energy future. As the Senator for the 31st District, representing the hardworking people of York and Cumberland counties, I’m calling it what it is: a big-government overreach that threatens our economic backbone with more spending, more bureaucracy and more empty promises.

“The governor’s plan — packed with $100 million-per-facility tax credits, consumer rebates and a new cap-and-invest scheme to replace the failed RGGI — isn’t bold leadership; it’s a recycled liberal fantasy. 

“Pennsylvania’s energy strength comes from free markets and our natural gas industry, not from Harrisburg’s heavy-hand of doling out taxpayer dollars to prop up unproven gimmicks like hydrogen hubs and sustainable aviation fuel. Shapiro says this will ‘create jobs’ and ‘lower costs’, but I’ve seen these pie-in-the-sky projections before. $664 million in ‘savings’ by 2040 sounds nice until you ask who’s paying for it now. Hint: it’s the families and small businesses I represent already squeezed by inflation and overregulation.

“Make no mistake, this isn’t about energy independence — it’s about control. Shapiro is cozying up to federal handouts and global climate agendas while pretending it’s a win for Pennsylvania workers. My constituents don’t need a governor playing venture capitalist with their money or a new bureaucracy to tell them how to power their homes. They need affordable, reliable energy and they need government to get out of the way.

“I urge my colleagues in the General Assembly to reject this Lightning Plan outright. We don’t need flashy pressers at Voith Hydro to know what works: less regulation, not more schemes. Gov. Shapiro should stop grandstanding in my district and start listening to the people who elected me to protect their interests — not his political ambitions.”

CONTACT: Crystal Patterson, 717-432-1730