Our Resources
Utility Bills on the Ballot Dashboard
PowerLines’ “Utility Bills on the Ballot” dashboard is a nonpartisan resource that tracks how candidates are talking about energy affordability ahead of the November 2026 election. It covers gubernatorial and public utility commission candidates as costs continue to rise across the country. The dashboard also includes a record of how incumbent governors have addressed energy affordability while in office.
PLAYBOOKS
Lowering Utility Bills and Growing the Economy: Playbooks for Elected Officials
Strategic Tactics, Policy Pathways, and Communications Strategies to Advance Leadership on Energy Issues
Elected officials have significant power over the utility regulatory system that determines how much people pay for gas and electricity on their monthly energy bills and what utilities spend their money on. Governors, legislators, and other key officials across the state and federal government shape the policies that determine how the system functions—including where public money is spent, who runs key state and federal regulatory agencies, and how growing affordability concerns are communicated. This playbook outlines strategic levers, policy pathways, and communications strategies elected officials can use to build a plan to lower utility bills and grow the economy.
REPORTS
Utility Bills Are Rising
A majority of consumers in the United States are concerned about increasing utility bills, as residential electricity costs have risen by almost 40% since 2021 and residential gas costs have increased by 40% since 2019, significantly outpacing inflation. Today, nearly 80 million Americans are struggling to pay their utility bills, forgoing basic expenses like food, education, and health care to keep their lights on.
In an era of unprecedented growth in electricity demand not seen at this scale in decades, ensuring that consumer perspectives are central to utility regulatory decision making—both in process and outcome—is key to restoring a system that serves the public interest and maintains the trust of consumers.
State Utility Dashboard
PowerLines’ “State Utility Dashboard” puts the basics of utility regulation for every state and the District of Columbia in one place: who regulates your utilities, how they got the job, which companies they oversee, how much bills have risen, and how much utilities expect to spend. Use the dashboard to compare states, track utility bill trends, and see how regulatory decisions affect what people pay for electricity.
Looking to work for a PUC?
Our jobs board has you covered.
PowerLines is working to build a talent pipeline of professionals to work for state public utilities commissions (PUCs). Our jobs board is dynamically updated to reflect the latest open PUC job postings. Interested in making a difference? There’s no better way than working for a PUC.
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