HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) -- Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro's office said Monday he can't investigate allegations of gas price gouging unless Gov. Tom Wolf declares an emergency declaration. Wolf, in turn, could only make such a declaration for 21 days unless the state's Republican-controlled General Assembly extends it.
The question Tuesday: Would Wolf declare an emergency, even if only for 21 days, to give Shapiro the option to investigate?
In a word: No.
In a few more words: "At this time, the governor is focused on our ongoing efforts to support Ukraine by ensuring Pennsylvania divests from any financial ties to Russia," Wolf spokeswoman Elizabeth Rementer said.
Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) told abc27 News she supports a bill introduced last summer by Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Chambersburg), who is running for governor, to temporarily reduce Pennsylvania's 58-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax by 15 cents per gallon, offset by charging a fee for electric vehicles.
Phillips-Hill blamed Wolf's clean energy-oriented policies for the state's dependence on foreign oil. "Our energy policy here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania is doing absolutely nothing to alleviate the pain that Pennsylvanians are feeling when they go to the gas pump," she said.
Oil industry supporters have said America is again becoming more reliant on foreign energy -- after a decade of reversing that trend -- because of a reluctance to expand drilling or build pipelines.
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"If you want to stop Putin's war machine, you increase domestic supply here at home," said Stephanie Catarino Wissman, executive director of the American Petroleum Institute Pennsylvania. "Why are we relying on unstable areas of the world to supply oil and natural gas?"
But other people say the problem is America's reliance on oil and natural gas, period. Conservationists and some economists say the way forward -- geopolitically end environmentally -- is to reduce oil demand with more efficient cars, better urban design, better public transportation, and increased reliance on renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind.
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