PennFuture Blog

Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate

PA and a Post “Chevron” World

by Abigail M. Jones, Vice President of Legal and Policy, Angela Kilbert, Staff Attorney, Brigitte Meyer, Staff Attorney, Emma Bast, Staff Attorney, Jessica O'Neill, Senior Attorney, Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
The history and context of the Chevron decision, explain the Loper Bright decision, and look at what this major change in the law means for environmental and human health protections in Pennsylvania. Read more

The State of Solar Development in PA: Solar Energy Benefits Remain Unrealized

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
Setting the record straight on commonly held myths about solar and recommendations to overcome the largest obstacles to solar energy adoption. Read more

The Carbon Rule

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
While meaningful federal action to address the growing climate crisis is long overdue, it’s also critical that whatever path we take, we do things right. There are better choices than using carbon capture and storage (CCS). Read more

What We Learned from the December 2022 Deep Freeze: Don’t Rely on Natural Gas When It’s Fracking Cold (Part 2)

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
Policymakers, grid operators, advocates, and industry need to take a critical look at Pennsylvania’s energy grid with an eye to reform. Read more

What We Learned from the December 2022 Deep Freeze: Don’t Rely on Natural Gas When It’s Fracking Cold (Part 1)

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
Pennsylvania’s energy grid came perilously close to a brownout event during last month’s winter storm Read more

Pennsylvania Began Participation in RGGI on July 1. What Happens Next?

by Emma Bast, Staff Attorney, Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
With the RGGI Rule in effect, but its neck under a blade, what does it all mean, and what could happen from here? Read more

Pennsylvania Finally Caps Carbon Pollution From Power Plants: Now What?

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
After many delays, the Legislative Reference Bureau published the final CO2 Budget Trading Program, also known as the “Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) Rule.” Read more

Fallacy, Fiction, and Falsehoods: Debunking the Fossil Fuel Industry’s Stance on Russia’s War in Ukraine

by Jared Stonesifer, Director of Media Relations, Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
This is a running list of some of the most egregious bad-faith arguments being put forth by the fossil fuel industry and their legislative champions in media outlets across Pennsylvania, accompanied by fact-checking of those arguments. Read more

Terrible Excuses to Mine Bitcoin

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on the energy impacts of Blockchain. While the panel of speakers made some good points, the hearing also provided a platform for several pro-bitcoin boosters to repeat really bad arguments in favor of wasteful crypto-mining. Read more

Renewable Natural Gas: Hope or Hype?

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
“Renewable natural gas” (RNG) sounds good, but does it live up to the hype as a green alternative to fracked gas or is it something like the mythical “clean coal?" Read more

Nigerian Princes: How the Fracked Gas Industry Killed Pennsylvania Coal and Raised Electricity Prices While Swimming in Taxpayer Subsidies

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
When the shale gas industry came to Pennsylvania, industry lobbyists were telling our legislators how profitable it would be. It turns out that wasn't the case. Read more

The Basics of Hydrogen

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
The topic of hydrogen can seem heavy and hard to digest. Read more

So What Comes Next for Pennsylvania's Efforts to Join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative?

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
In early September, the Independent Regulatory Review Commission approved a draft rule that would link Pennsylvania to RGGI. So what comes next in this long process? Read more

Chasing Bitcoin is a Bad Investment for Pennsylvania

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
It takes an obscene amount of energy to mine bitcoin and now companies are looking to power that mining by buying up cheap, dirty, outdated power plants just to run the computers to do the mining. Read more

Coal-Fired Power Plant to Close Because of Market Conditions, Not Environmental Regulations

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
Any time a fossil fuel plant retires, polluters and their backers almost always blame environmental rules. Don't be fooled. Read more

What Comes Next in Pennsylvania's Efforts to Join RGGI?

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
We are 19 months into a process expected to take about 24 months total. Read more

Net Metering Works for Pennsylvania

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
Fairness demands that we pay net-metered solar generators for the full value of the services they provide. Read more