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Democratic lawmakers and environmental advocates from Pennsylvania are advocating for proposed federal legislation that aims to promote clean energy and reduce peoples’ energy bills.
The Energy Bills Relief Act, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., and U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., would expand payment assistance programs and tax credits for renewable energy.
The bill was drafted in response to the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle parts of the Inflation Reduction Act that provides incentives for green energy and fund programs that aim to reduce climate warming emissions.
President Donald Trump has called for more oil and gas drilling.
“We have an administration now that is doing everything it can to promote fossil fuel energy, even when it means that Americans are paying higher costs,” said U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Delaware County, who is co-sponsoring the legislation.
“Families should not be stuck paying higher utility bills because of massive new energy demands from giant corporations and data centers. This legislation would push for fairness and accountability so that everyday ratepayers come first.”
The bill would reinstate tax credits for homeowners who want to install solar panels or upgrade their air conditioning units and furnaces, which can help reduce electricity bills. It would also expand the federal Weatherization Assistance Program, which provides free home energy upgrades by funding essential structural repairs like plumbing and allowing contractors to take on more comprehensive improvements.
Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which Congress passed last year, rolled back energy efficiency, home improvement and electric vehicle tax credits.
“Not only is this a blow to climate action, it also comes at a time when families and businesses are suffering from rising costs, frankly, of everything,” said U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Montgomery County, another co-sponsor of the Energy Bills Relief Act.
The bill would expand funding and eligibility requirements for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, which about 300,000 residents in Pennsylvania rely on.
The proposal comes as the price of electricity is soaring.
Though freezing weather conditions have contributed to high utility bills, rate hikes have also been driven by a supply-and-demand imbalance, increased power demand from data centers and slow construction of new energy-generation infrastructure.
Electricity bills are also rising as utilities recover costs and earn returns on their system upgrades above their financing costs. PECO’s profits increased by almost 50% after it imposed rate hikes in 2025 that were approved by utility regulators.
