Governors vs. Rising Power Bills
Electricity prices are rising across America — and governors are scrambling to respond.
From California to Pennsylvania to Virginia, states are experimenting with dramatically different approaches to lowering power bills: taking on utility monopolies, freezing rate hikes, reforming electricity markets, accelerating new generation, and pushing data centers to pay their own way.
On this episode of Political Climate, we unpack why energy affordability has become one of the hottest political issues heading into the 2026 midterms, what state leaders are doing about it, and whether or not their strategies will work.
Hosts Julia Pyper, Brandon Hurlbut, and Neil Chatterjee break down:
- 11:44 - Energy affordability in the California governor's debate
- 17:42 - PA Gov. Shapiro rails against the “broken” utility business model
- 26:14 - States demand PJM market reforms
- 31:53 - Virginia's energy affordability package
- 34:05 - A mix of strategies from Connecticut to Kentucky to Arizona and beyond
- 42:30 - AI data center cost drivers and state responses
- 52:13 - Energy affordability and the 2026 election
Plus: the team kicks off with a discussion on the geopolitical fallout from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and what it means for energy and cleantech.
Political Climate is presented by ClearPath, one of the most influential organizations working to advance American energy innovation while reducing global emissions.
Subscribe to catch all of our latest episodes! And head on over to politicalclimatepodcast.com to sign up for our soon returning newsletter.