Organization

The Commonwealth Foundation

223 State Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101

The Commonwealth Foundation is a free-market public policy think tank based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, focusing on educational opportunity, fiscal responsibility, and government accountability

Coverage areas

Guests (2)

Episodes (2)

2026-11-03
The Net-Zero Illusion: Gordon Tomb on Green Mandates and the Grid
with Gordon W Tomb
In the latest episode of the Powering America Podcast, host Bryan Hyde interviews Gordon W. Tomb, a Senior Fellow at the Commonwealth Foundation, about the implications of green energy mandates on electricity prices and reliability. Tomb discusses Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards, which require a percentage of electricity to come from renewable sources, and critiques the effectiveness and economic impact of such policies. He argues that fossil fuels and nuclear power remain the most viable energy sources for affordable electricity, while highlighting the political challenges in shifting energy policy.
2026-07-21
The Commonwealth Foundation's Elizabeth B. Stelle: Restoring Pennsylvania's Energy Edge
with Elizabeth B. Stelle
In this Powering America Podcast episode featuring Elizabeth B. Stelle, Vice President of Policy at The Commonwealth Foundation, the discussion centers on Pennsylvania's energy landscape. Stelle highlights Pennsylvania's significant role in coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear energy production, emphasizing the state's need to adapt to rising energy costs and increasing demand. The conversation also addresses the importance of sound energy policies, the impact of regulations on energy development, and the challenges posed by carbon taxes and renewable energy mandates.

Notable quotes

“The stated purpose for this particular program, which was initiated in 2004, more than 20 years ago, was to give these energy sources a foothold, a kind of a boost so that they could develop and gain market share.”
“At this point, of all the electricity generated in Pennsylvania, 4% comes from so-called renewable sources. After 20 years, and billions of dollars. What is the point?”
“It's totally irrational. And as I mentioned, people are starting to back away from it.”
“The energy breakthrough that will take the world into the 21st century will almost certainly be political, not technological.”
“Wind and solar will take 10 times and more, in some cases, 10 times the land for to produce the same amount of energy that traditional sources take.”
“I think the general principle would be to have policy guided by rational, clear-headed thinking.”
“We are Pennsylvania's free market think tank. So that means that we spend our time taking free market policies, turning them into legislation, and then eventually law, so that all Pennsylvanians across our commonwealth can prosper.”
“We are now above the national average at 14.11 cents per kilowatt hour. The national average is about 13.6. So we are now above that threshold, not a place we wanna be.”