Gordon Tomb
Senior Fellow
Gordon Tomb is a Senior Fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation.
Gordon is senior advisor for the CO2 Coalition in Arlington, Virginia, and the primary editor of the best-selling book Inconvenient Facts: The Science That Al Gore Doesn’t Want You to Know.
As an energy writer and consultant, his clients have included the natural gas and nuclear power industries and the operator of the nation’s largest high-voltage transmission system.
Gordon has spoken on behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency on lessons of the Fukushima and Three Mile Island nuclear accidents and is a winner of the Cicero Speechwriting Awards.
As an executive in the electric utility and nuclear power industries, Gordon led communications teams in the recovery from the TMI accident, the development of an electric transmission project, and the reorganization of a FORTUNE 500 company. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and columnist and as a director with an international management consulting firm.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and attended Grove City College.
Taxes & Economy
First Do No Harm to Pa.’s Energy Sector
Pennsylvania’s energy industry is growing, but state government intervention through new taxes or special interest bailouts would threaten the positive trends of job growth and low energy prices. Pennsylvania ranked…
Media
Read More: First Do No Harm to Pa.’s Energy SectorTaxes & Economy
Santa and the Grinch visit Pennsylvania?s Energy Sector
The last two years brought renewed investment in Pennsylvania’s energy industry, but these shiny gifts remain threatened by grinchy taxes, fees, and regulations. Among the gifts are the…
Media
Read More: Santa and the Grinch visit Pennsylvania?s Energy SectorTaxes & Economy
Facts Refute Gov. Wolf’s Climate Change Concern
Editor's Note: A version of this blog was also published in the Daily Caller and appeared at NaturalGasNow.org. When Gov. Wolf uses the past…
Media
Read More: Facts Refute Gov. Wolf’s Climate Change ConcernTaxes & Economy
Will Carbon Taxes Bring Paris Protests to Pa?
“Nothing reveals the disconnect between ordinary voters and an aloof political class more than carbon taxation,” write the editors of the Wall Street Journal. As French “yellow vest”…
Media
Read More: Will Carbon Taxes Bring Paris Protests to Pa?Regulation
Our Christmas Wish: A Solvent Pennsylvania
“I’m dreaming of a solvent Penn’s Woods/Just like the one we used to know.” Lyrics not worthy of Bing Crosby, but still music to the ears of a…
Media
Read More: Our Christmas Wish: A Solvent PennsylvaniaTaxes & Economy
Natural Gas Outshines Solar, Blows Past Wind
Natural gas is by far the best the most efficient way to produce electricity, according to a recent report by the Manhattan Institute. The report indicates that dollar-for-dollar,…
Media
Read More: Natural Gas Outshines Solar, Blows Past WindRegulation
Gov. Wolf’s Unfair Demands Will Hinder the Economy
The Wolf administration is once again attempting to impose excessive costs on the gas industry—and consumers—by proposing triple-digit-percentage increases in fees for authorizing well development. Pennsylvania charges more for…
Media
Read More: Gov. Wolf’s Unfair Demands Will Hinder the EconomyTaxes & Economy
Dueling Energy Subsidies are Equally Bad
Shortly after Pennsylvania lawmakers suggested subsidies for nuclear power plants, the federal government launched a new effort to subsidize not only nuclear power but other forms of energy…
Media
Read More: Dueling Energy Subsidies are Equally BadRegulation
Save Nuclear Jobs with Less Government, Not Corporate Welfare
Increased production of low-cost natural gas has reduced the price of electricity to levels below which many Pennsylvania nuclear plants can compete. With about 3,000 jobs at stake, Senator…
Media
Read More: Save Nuclear Jobs with Less Government, Not Corporate WelfareRegulation
Energy Markets Need Reform, Not Subsidies
How many industries can withstand a more than threefold increase in regulatory costs in a decade? Few, if any. Yet that's the reality for nuclear power plants. An…
Media
Read More: Energy Markets Need Reform, Not SubsidiesTaxes & Economy
Disco Governor Wants Money, Money, Money
Money, money, money/Always sunny/In a rich man’s world. Sung by ABBA in 1976. A governing mantra of Tom Wolf in 2018. More tax dollars seem to be Gov. Wolf's answer…
Media
Read More: Disco Governor Wants Money, Money, MoneyTaxes & Economy
Coal and Nuclear Subsidies Rejected, Time to End All Energy Subsidies
Government subsidies for so-called green energy are contributing to the closings of coal and nuclear plants that keep Pennsylvania’s electricity system reliable. In response, the U.S. Department of Energy…
Media
Read More: Coal and Nuclear Subsidies Rejected, Time to End All Energy SubsidiesGovernment Accountability
Inconvenient Facts: Debunking Climate Alarmists
Governments should focus on supporting economic prosperity to enable better adaption to climate changes instead of controlling carbon footprints. Consider the contrast in hurricane recoveries between Florida, where an…
Media
Read More: Inconvenient Facts: Debunking Climate AlarmistsTaxes & Economy
Could Gas Go the Way of Foxconn?
One company’s decision not to locate in Pennsylvania foreshadows the migration in capital and jobs the commonwealth would suffer under a higher gas tax. Wisconsin Governor Scott…
Media
Read More: Could Gas Go the Way of Foxconn?Regulation
A Double Whammy for PA Job Creators
The governor continues to insist on hiking natural gas taxes to balance the budget, while bureaucrats are heaping regulatory burdens on Pennsylvania’s most dynamic industry of the past decade.
Media
Read More: A Double Whammy for PA Job CreatorsTaxes & Economy
Pennsylvania’s ‘Economic Iron Curtain’
Imagine discovering buried treasure on your property. Suddenly, you can provide for your family, send your kids to college debt-free, pay off your parent’s mortgage, or fund your retirement. It…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania’s ‘Economic Iron Curtain’Regulation
Don’t Wait on Washington for Manufacturing Jobs
During his campaign stops in Pennsylvania, President-elect Donald Trump touted his intention to bring manufacturing jobs back to the state. That’s a worthy goal, but the truth…
Commentary
Read More: Don’t Wait on Washington for Manufacturing JobsTaxes & Economy
PA’s Conflicted Relationship with Natural Gas
The government giveth, and the government taketh away. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Pennsylvania’s relationship with the natural gas industry. On the one hand, Gov. Wolf offers a…
Media
Read More: PA’s Conflicted Relationship with Natural GasEnergy
Lessons from Fracking’s Borderlines
New Yorkers shouldn’t have to eye secession to tap the riches beneath their feet. Pennsylvanians shouldn’t have to worry that taxes and regulations will drive away opportunity and raise energy…
Commentary
Read More: Lessons from Fracking’s BorderlinesTaxes & Economy
PA Manufacturing Withers Under High Tax Load
As Harrisburg searches for politically acceptable tax hikes to fund a record-breaking budget, Pennsylvania’s attractiveness to manufacturers continues to decline. According to a study reported by the Central…
Media
Read More: PA Manufacturing Withers Under High Tax LoadTaxes & Economy
PA Business Climate isn’t Winning any “Miss Congeniality” Contests
Why would one of Pennsylvania’s largest natural gas producers suddenly switch from selling all non-Pennsylvania assets to purchasing a $3.3 billion Houston company that operates exclusively in…
Media
Read More: PA Business Climate isn’t Winning any “Miss Congeniality” Contests