Climate Politics
US Grid Faces a New Threat as Regulators Balk at Higher Bills
Outcry from tapped-out consumers has US states drawing the line on electricity rate hikes that help pay for clean-energy initiatives.
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As Americans grapple with surging home energy bills, state regulators are starting to take a harder line on utilities proposing to hike household electricity rates.
Regulators in at least three Midwest states are already blocking power companies from taking on costly grid upgrades that rely on consumer rate hikes to foot the bill. Instead, the utilities are being told to delay less urgent projects and absorb some costs they usually pass on to customers. As more and more households struggle with stubbornly high inflation, analysts warn that such regulatory pushback could spread across the country.