This story is part of the WHYY News Climate Desk, bringing you news and solutions for our changing region.
From the Poconos to the Jersey Shore to the mouth of the Delaware Bay, what do you want to know about climate change? What would you like us to cover? Get in touch.
The Philadelphia Gas Commission is seeking “a complete accounting of gifts, tickets, meals, travel, lodging, and entertainment” given by outside groups to Philadelphia Gas Works CEO Seth Shapiro, according to a memo obtained by WHYY News.
The memo, dated Oct. 23, was sent to PGW less than three weeks after WHYY News reported that Shapiro disclosed dozens of trips, including to Phillies’ spring training in Florida, but didn’t include the value on his state ethics forms for 2022 through 2025. State law requires Shapiro to specify the value of each free trip he accepts.
The five-member commission, which oversees the finances of the city-owned utility, is seeking more information than what is required by the state Ethics Act. The memo asks PGW to provide details of trips and gifts including their value from Jan. 1, 2022, when Shapiro began his role as the utility’s CEO, to the present. The commission requested a complete list of events Shapiro “attended in his capacity as CEO … and other PGW employees in attendance.”
It also asks PGW to identify whether any of the organizations that provided gifts and trips do business with the utility and to detail “Shapiro’s involvement in related decisions.”
No one from the commission would comment on the memo or the information they are seeking.
Shapiro did not respond to a request for comment, nor did utility officials.
WHYY News previously reported that the Phillies paid for Shapiro to attend spring training in Clearwater, Florida, for at least four consecutive years between 2022 and 2025, according to public filings.
PGW is a major advertiser on Phillies broadcasts and stadium signage and digital displays — spending that is approved by the CEO. The nonprofit gas utility spent more than $1 million to advertise with the Phillies from October 2022 to November 2024, public records show. As a municipally owned gas utility, Philadelphia’s 500,000 residential and commercial customers provide the vast majority of the utility’s revenue.
In December 2025, PGW raised its rates 6.6%.
