Federal Agency
Appears in 8 stories
Reviewing 35-plus Order 1920 compliance proposals from utilities while implementing transmission planning reforms
Seventy percent of America's power lines and transformers are over 25 years old. On June 30, 2026, Secretary Wright issued two emergency orders for the Mid-Atlantic grid after PJM Interconnection forecast demand near 166,000 megawatts—approaching the region's all-time record.
Updated Jul 3
Writing the national rule
For decades, the cost of upgrading the power grid was spread across everyone's electric bill. On June 18, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) acted on a rule that could put much of that cost on the data centers that trigger it.
Updated Jun 18
Approved Shapiro-PJM cap; weighing broader reforms
Pennsylvania power bills jumped on June 1 as utilities passed through record wholesale prices set by PJM Interconnection, the grid operator for 67 million people across 13 states. PECO's commercial supply charge rose roughly 15 percent, with PPL Electric, Duquesne Light, and FirstEnergy's four Pennsylvania utilities also raising rates.
Updated Jun 1
Primary regulator managing CP2 approval and Plaquemines expansion review; facing legal challenges over environmental assessment adequacy
When Cheniere Energy shipped America's first LNG cargo from Louisiana in February 2016, the U.S. was a net gas importer. A decade later, the country leads the world in LNG exports, with capacity set to more than double by 2029.
Updated May 27
Approved project license
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a 40-year license for a $2 billion pumped-storage hydropower facility on land the Yakama Nation considers sacred. The 1,200-megawatt Goldendale Energy Storage Project would function as a giant battery for the Pacific Northwest grid—pumping water uphill when power is cheap, releasing it through turbines when demand spikes. The site, known to the Yakama as Pushpum or 'mother of all roots,' has been used for ceremonies, fishing, and gathering traditional foods for centuries.
Updated May 26
Developing new rules for data center grid connections
For decades, American households paid roughly the same share of electricity costs regardless of which industries were expanding. AI data centers have broken that arrangement.
Updated May 20
Regulating data center co-location and behind-the-meter power arrangements
Google spent $4.75 billion over a year ago acquiring Intersect Power, owning power plants that feed its AI data centers. Amazon bought a Pennsylvania nuclear campus; Microsoft restarted Three Mile Island in September 2024; Meta announced nuclear deals with Vistra, TerraPower, Oklo unlocking up to 6.6 gigawatts for American AI. Tech giants now control the grid.
Updated May 16
Ordering PJM to rewrite tariff rules for co-located load and behind-the-meter generation
Data centers found a shortcut: park next to a generator and drink power without waiting years for grid upgrades. On Dec. 18, FERC doubled down—unanimously—ordering PJM to rewrite its tariff so co-located mega-load can't stay "invisible" to planning, service definitions, and cost responsibility.
Updated May 15
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