Clean Energy Groups See Big Chance in State Elections

Electric bills have gone up a lot in recent years, and voters are frustrated. Clean energy groups think this is a perfect moment to push state leaders to use more wind and solar power. They say cleaner energy can also be cheaper energy — and they want governors to hear that message before the midterm elections.

One group leading this push is Advanced Energy United. The group has a plan that calls for making it faster and easier to get permits for wind and solar projects. It also wants to get more power out of the electric grid that already exists, rather than spending billions of dollars building new infrastructure. Dylan Reed, who leads the group's political work, said the ideas have support from both major parties.

Reed said one of the first steps is making energy policy easier to understand. The energy sector is known for being complicated and full of technical terms that are hard to follow. Advanced Energy United wants to help governors see how clean power can lower prices and help the economy grow at the same time. That message could show up in many campaign speeches this year.

This year, 36 governor seats are up for election across the country. Half of those races do not have a current governor running, which makes them more competitive. Since 2021, electricity prices have gone up by nearly 40 percent — faster than the overall rise in prices for most things people buy. That makes energy costs a hot topic for voters heading to the polls.

Charles Hua leads a consumer group called PowerLines. He spoke to local lawmakers at a national meeting in Chicago this week. He said that lowering electric bills depends on state lawmakers knowing what tools they actually have. PowerLines is putting out its own guide to help lawmakers write new rules about how electric rates are set.

Clean energy supporters focused on national policy are also paying attention to what happens in states. A group of former government officials and policy experts released a policy handbook on Thursday. The handbook highlights things that can be done right now at the local level. One big idea is creating flexible electric rates that give customers a discount when they use power at times when a lot of solar energy is available.

In other energy news, the White House wants to bring back some old oil refineries. Private investors are being asked to reopen refineries that closed because they were not making money. The National Energy Dominance Council is helping connect investors with government agencies to figure out how the government can support these projects.

In Michigan, state lawmakers are trying to stop the state's attorney general from suing oil companies over climate change. They added a rule to the state budget that blocks the use of state money to join lawsuits against oil and gas companies. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel had joined other cities and states in suing the oil industry for allegedly misleading the public about climate change.

Meanwhile, Texas is facing a huge jump in electricity demand. New data centers could nearly double how much power the state needs over the next five or six years. The state's power grid set an all-time record of 91 gigawatts of demand just last week, and officials say demand could reach 175 gigawatts by 2032.