News

In an opinion piece for the Santa Cruz Sentinel, United’s Leah Rubin Shen urges the California legislature to pass Senate Bill 540, which would allow California to join a West-wide regional energy market this year. She warns that failing to act could leave California isolated from the rest of the West. The benefits of joining such a market would save ratepayers $1B annually, improve grid reliability during extreme weather, and make better use of existing clean energy resources.

The Houston Chronicle reports on increasing uncertainty among developers over federal and state actions to phase out key clean energy incentives. United's Doug Pietrucha warns that waning support for renewables could drive off private investment, derail long-planned energy projects, and increase costs for ratepayers statewide. 

In an interview with Paul Gerke from Factor This, United's Kat Burnham discusses the repercussions of the Trump administration's order to halt construction on Rhode Island's Revolution Wind project. She encourages state leaders to step up to meet climate and energy reliability goals as federal support decreases. 

Utility Dive reports on the Department of Interior's filing which revokes the approved construction and operation plan for US Wind's 2.2 GW Maryland Offshore Wind project. United's Kat Burnham discussed how this decision fits into the big picture following the recent stop-work order at Revolution Wind in Rhode Island, warning that the disruption to long-planned energy projects puts billions of dollars in private investment and thousands of jobs at risk.

Cape May County Herald reports on New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's recently signed legislation, which ensures state utilities disclose their votes on issues and proposals as members of PJM Interconnection. United’s Katie Mettle commended the Governor’s actions, stating that the new law will bring greater transparency to PJM and allows the public to hold utilities accountable.

The Bakersfield Californian reports that Assembly Bills (AB) 740 and 44—which aim to further integrate virtual power plants (VPPs) in California's energy system—are currently under consideration in the State Legislature. United's Edson Perez spoke to the benefits of VPPs in reducing energy costs, meeting load growth, and increasing grid resilience.

As California's 2025 legislative session comes to a close, state lawmakers have several advanced energy bills to consider. United's Edson Perez spoke with POLITICO about how, if passed, these bills could increase affordability, expand access to renewables, and modernize the state's overall grid.

Canary Media reports on the potential funding cuts to California's Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS) virtual power plant (VPP) program, which has proven highly cost-effective and reduces reliance on fossil-fueled power plants. United's Edson Perez stated that VPPs are vital for the state to enhance grid reliability, increase affordability, and meet rising load growth.

Utility Dive reports that Arizona regulators voted unanimously to begin the process of repealing the Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff (REST) rules, which required electric utilities to deliver 15% renewable energy by 2025. United's Michael Barrio criticized the decision, warning that the repeal will scare off private investment and jeapardize Arizona's multi-billion dollar advanced energy economy.