Governor Shapiro’s 2025-2026 budget proposal delivers needed investment in trails and public lands, welcome funding increases for key state agencies, and innovative strategies to advance development of clean, affordable, and reliable electricity in the Commonwealth.
The expansion of Lehigh Gorge State Park, reopening of Glen Onoko Falls, and creation of a new state park at Laurel Caverns will fuel the continued growth of Pennsylvania’s $17 billion outdoor economy while creating new opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of time spent outdoors. The governor’s budget also includes new funding for projects that will enhance the connectivity of existing trail systems across the state — a primary focus of PEC’s trails program. These investments come with a $23 million boost in funding for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) for operations, facilities maintenance and improvements, and efforts to grow and support the outdoor industry.
”Governor Shapiro’s budget recognizes the value that parks and trails bring to our communities, including improved public health and quality of life, and significant economic development opportunities associated with the outdoor recreation economy,” said Tom Gilbert, President of PEC.
We applaud the inclusion of a 12 percent funding increase for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which will help ease chronic understaffing and provide the agency with some much-needed capacity.
In addition to today’s budget address, the Governor has announced his Lightning Energy Proposal: a six-part strategy to rapidly upscale Pennsylvania’s power generation capacity while reducing carbon emissions and protecting consumers from rising energy prices. The plan includes several steps PEC has long advocated, such as updating the state’s more than twenty-year-old Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards to include more renewable and non-emitting sources, and implementing a cap-and-invest program to leverage the sale of carbon allowances for energy-efficiency improvements, clean energy projects, and consumer rebates. The Lightning plan also proposes the creation of a new body, the Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Siting and Electric Transition (RESET) board, to help facilitate energy siting decisions, and proposes a new “community energy” model that will make it easier for utility users to band together and obtain electricity from local, renewable sources.
Also included in the governor’s budget proposal are increased funding for environmental and energy-related programs like plugging orphan oil & gas wells, managing invasive species in state forests, cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, improving mass transit, and continuing to fund the popular Solar for Schools program,
We look forward to working with the governor, lawmakers, and stakeholders to ensure timely passage of an agenda that plays to Pennsylvania’s strengths as a national leader in energy and outdoor recreation. At a time when the federal government’s role is increasingly uncertain, it is more important than ever to secure a future of economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental integrity for all Pennsylvanians.