affordability
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Utility Bills Are on the Ballot
Hello and welcome to Current, the newsletter that helps you navigate this new era of electricity. I’m your newsletter host, Catherine Morehouse Gernes. Hot Topic One big thing to put on your radar There’s no question. Utility bills are on the ballot this November. The cost of electricity service for residential customers has risen an…
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PowerLines Launches Tools to Track Utility Costs and Election-Year Promises Nationwide
Interactive resources show how gubernatorial and public utility commission candidates are talking about energy affordability, and what utilities are charging and spending in every state. PowerLines, a nonpartisan consumer education nonprofit, has launched two interactive resources to help consumers and other stakeholders understand utility bill trends in their states and how candidates and elected officials…
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What drove record-breaking utility rate requests in Q3 2026?
Hello and welcome to Current, the newsletter that helps you navigate this new era of electricity. I’m your newsletter host, Catherine Morehouse Gernes. Hot Topic One big thing to put on your radar Rising utility bills have become commonplace in almost every state. Despite the growing amount of attention paid to this issue—including pledges from…
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Utilities Request $23.1 Billion in Rate Increases Through Third Quarter of 2026
Third-quarter filings could affect the future bills of 45.5 million utility customers nationwide. As colder months approach and household energy costs remain a growing concern, PowerLines’ latest quarterly index shows utilities have requested $23.1 billion in electric and gas rate increases during the first three quarters of 2026. Utility Bills Are Rising: Q3 2026 Update…
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PowerLines launches newsletter | All eyes on Indiana regulators
Hello and welcome to Current, the newsletter that helps you navigate this new era of electricity. Current distills the complex and evolving energy landscape—and shows how modernizing the utility regulatory system can lower utility bills and grow the economy. I’m your newsletter host, Catherine Morehouse Gernes, a former energy journalist who previously covered the power…
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PowerLines Releases Playbook for Governors to Lower Utility Bills and Grow the Economy
New resource provides a roadmap outlining levers, policies, and strategies to tackle utility issues. WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, PowerLines released Lowering Utility Bills and Growing the Economy: A Playbook for Governors, a resource that outlines strategic levers, policy pathways, and communications strategies for governors and their staff to lower utility bills and grow the economy.…
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PowerLines Announces Leading Utility Regulation Experts as Senior Advisors
Senior Advisors Ted Thomas, Tremaine Phillips, and Chris Villarreal bring decades of utility regulatory experience and expertise to guide PowerLines’ work. PowerLines, a national energy consumer education nonprofit, is announcing the addition of three utility experts — Ted Thomas, Tremaine Phillips, and Chris Villarreal — to its team as Senior Advisors to expand PowerLines’ technical…
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Utilities Request $18.6 Billion in Rate Increases in First Half of 2026
Record second-quarter filings could affect the future bills of more than 56 million utility customers nationwide. As summer heat pushes electricity demand higher and household energy costs remain a growing concern, PowerLines’ latest quarterly index shows utilities have requested $18.6 billion in electric and gas rate increases during the first half of 2026. Utility Bills…
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PowerLines Supports Operation Gigawatt, Joins Western Policymakers to Address Grid Modernization and Energy Affordability
PowerLines joined governors, state legislators, regulators, utilities, and other energy stakeholders in Utah this month for two back-to-back events focused on how states can modernize the electric grid while keeping energy affordable for households and businesses. PowerLines sponsored the Operation Gigawatt Summit, hosted by Utah Governor Spencer Cox, which brought together leaders from government, utilities, and…
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New PowerLines-Ipsos Poll Finds a Majority of Americans Report Rising Utility Bills as Utilities File $9.4 Billion in Rate Increase Requests in Q1 2026
PowerLines has released a new analysis finding utilities filed $9.4 billion in rate increase requests in the first quarter of 2026 that are poised to impact more than 81 million customers across the U.S. Utility Bills Are Rising: Q1 2026, includes a comprehensive analysis of utility rate increase requests filed in the first quarter of…