BREAKING: PA Public Utility Commission Approves Rate Hikes for Pennsylvanians as Trump and Republicans Take Energy Options Off the Grid

Pennsylvania energy costs are up 15% and more than 1,100 clean energy jobs have been canceled or delayed thanks to Trump’s policies

Washington, DC – Thanks to Trump and Republicans’ war on clean energy, some Pennsylvania residents will see their rates go up as much as 18% after the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approved rate hikes for customers of Wellsboro Electric, Valley Energy, and Citizens’ Electric Co. of Lewisburg. 

The news comes as Pennsylvanians face bitter cold temperatures following Winter Storm Fern. Republican Representatives Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), Rob Bresnahan (PA-08), and Scott Perry (PA-10) all voted to raise costs for Pennsylvania families by waging an all-out war on homegrown American energy with the GOP budget bill. 49 states and the District of Columbia saw rate hikes announced in 2025 as voters increasingly cite skyrocketing utility bills as a top concern.

Climate Power Senior Advisor Jesse Lee issued the following statement: 

“Trump is taking energy options off the grid as demand skyrockets and leaving Pennsylvanians to pay the price. Thanks to his reckless energy policies, Pennsylvanians have already seen their energy costs spike by double digits, and now, he’s making it even more expensive for families to stay warm. Rep. Mackenzie, Rep. Bresnahan, and Rep. Scott were warned their votes for the Republican budget bill would jack up Pennsylvania utility bills, but their loyalty to Trump was more important so they voted for it anyway.”  

Donald Trump’s reckless energy policies are causing utility rates to skyrocket across the country: 

• The Arkansas Public Service Commission approved a 23% rate hike for Southwestern Electric Power Co. customers that will raise the average monthly residential electric bill by $24.32.

• The New York Public State Commission approved a three-year gas rate plan for Liberty Utilities customers that will raise the average monthly residential gas bill by a total of $9.81.

• Colorado Springs Utilities is proposing a gas rate increase that would raise the average monthly bill by about $7 to $10.

• The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a rate hike request from Con Ed that will raise electricity prices by 9% and gas prices by 6% over the next three years. 

• San Diegans saw a 7.4% rate hike on average on January 1, and bills are projected to increase by $5 starting in April after the California Public Service Commission approved a rate hike request from San Diego Gas & Electric. 

• Peoples Gas, which supplies natural gas to nearly 900,000 Chicagoans, is seeking a rate hike that would raise the average monthly bill by $10 to $11.

• Nicor Gas, which has 2.3 million customers in northern Illinois, is seeking a rate hike that would raise the average monthly bill by around $6. 

• In North Carolina, Piedmont Natural Gas customers were upset about sudden increases in their monthly bill, with some ratepayers complaining that their bills had doubled.
• Atmos Energy is asking the City of Dallas to approve a 10% rate hike for gas customers that would raise the average monthly bill by $11.25.