Apr 14, 2025 3 min read

Gov. Josh Shapiro is leading us in the wrong direction on energy. He has proposed a new carbon tax on electricity generation and wants a massive expansion of Pennsylvania ratepayer-funded subsidies for wind and solar developers.

Presently, nearly 60% of Pennsylvania’s electricity is generated from reliable, affordable, clean-burning natural gas. The transition to natural gas has dramatically reduced Pennsylvania emissions, resulting in significantly cleaner air and fewer respiratory ailments. However, instead of encouraging more local natural gas production, the governor continues to advocate policies that turn their back on in-state resources in favor of intermittent and unreliable sources.

In addition to seeking a new tax on power generation, the governor continues to target the conventional oil and gas industry. Recently, he tried to lay blame for old, abandoned oil and gas wells at the feet of Pennsylvania’s conventional oil and gas producers.

The reality is that Pennsylvania has hundreds of thousands of older, abandoned wells, some that are up to 150 years old, which need to be plugged. They are relics drilled and deserted decades ago, before modern laws governing registration, bonding and well plugging. The people associated with them have long since passed.

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been less than clear with its data about the difference between those abandoned wells and the modern wells registered and bonded by today’s conventional oil and gas industry. Under scrutiny from the industry, DEP has cleaned up mistakes in its database. It is now apparent that 99% of Pennsylvania’s abandoned wells are the ancient relics, deserted when the law didn’t require plugging. Wrongfully blaming today’s conventional industry (who faithfully supply fuel for our homes, stores, businesses and churches) is a great disservice to the hard-working men and women who toil every day, in all kinds of weather, to supply a product that keeps our lights on and our homes warm.

Recently, Shapiro bragged about using federal money to plug 300 abandoned wells at an average cost of $110,000 apiece. That sounds OK, until you consider that just a few years ago the average price to plug an abandoned well was $17,500. The bureaucrats have figured out how to blanket the process with layers of stifling bonding that precludes local companies from participating.

Many conventional operators voluntarily plug abandoned wells at their own expense without fanfare or cameras because they care and choose to raise their families in the environments they work in. They have common sense and the business experience to plug their wells at non-inflated prices.

If Gov. Shapiro really wants to be a plugging hero, he will scale back his bureaucracy that is standing in the way of plugging even more wells. Devoting more time to efficiently running the government will lead to greater environmental progress. That’s what my constituents expect out of their government.

Sen. Camera Bartolotta represents the 46th District in the Pennsylvania Senate.