Pa. election 2026: Where governor candidates Garrity and Shapiro stand on energy costs, the environment, and more
Pennsylvania's gubernatorial candidates, Josh Shapiro and Stacy Garrity, are divided on energy policy, with both acknowledging data center development exacerbates energy demand. Shapiro advocates for an "all of the above" approach with clean energy incentives and utility profit curbing, while Garrity emphasizes increased natural gas production and tax cuts. Their differing stances will influence the state's approach to energy costs, environmental protection, and the regulation of large energy consumers like data centers.
Pennsylvania's upcoming gubernatorial election features a sharp divide between Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican challenger state Treasurer Stacy Garrity on critical energy and environmental policies, with both candidates recognizing the growing demand from data center development as a factor in rising energy costs.
Shapiro promotes an "all of the above" energy strategy, integrating clean energy initiatives like solar and wind with traditional oil and gas. His "Lightning Plan" seeks to boost energy production, create jobs, and lower utility prices through measures such as tax credits for clean energy, a new permitting board, and increased renewable energy mandates for electric companies. He also proposed a Pennsylvania-specific carbon cap-and-trade program and has taken an aggressive stance against utility profit hikes. His administration's Fast Track Program has expedited permitting for major projects, including Amazon Web Services data centers, drawing praise from developers but criticism from environmental advocates concerned about relaxed air and water permits.
Garrity, conversely, prioritizes dramatically increasing natural gas production, advocating for the immediate lifting of drilling bans in state parks and forests via executive order on her first day. She proposes a special legislative session to fast-track permits for natural gas projects and to eliminate