News

In an episode of Latitude Media's With Great Power podcast, produced by GridX, United's President and CEO Heather O'Neill reflects on state-level clean energy policy wins in 2025. She also outlines United's strategies for supporting policy in 2026, explaining why we're focused on the 36 gubernatorial races and midterm elections this year to make progress for the advanced energy industry.

The Chicago Tribune reports on House Bill 1002, which offers several solutions to lower electricity costs for consumers. United's Caryl Auslander stated that the bill's language could be strengthened to increase grid reliability and enhance savings for ratepayers, recommending that a peak load reduction metric be created to bolster long-term affordability outcomes.

As Virginia's 60-day legislative session begins, Canary Media reports that clean energy is emerging as a key strategy to help combat rising electricity costs and reliability concerns. United's Jim Purekal spoke to the benefits of one proposal, the Facilitating Access to Surplus Transmission (FAST) Act, noting that the legislation would utilize capacity on existing transmission lines and speed up interconnection of advanced energy solutions, increasing affordability and energy capacity statewide.

The Center Square reports on the election outcomes in New Jersey and Virginia, where Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger won their gubernatorial races. United's Virginia Director Jim Purekal and New Jersey Policy Lead Katie Mettle highlighted the future governors' focus on lowering energy prices through clean energy as a key component of their victories.

PV Magazine reports on the election results from Virginia and New Jersey, with a specific focus on unlocking new clean energy opportunities by making better use of existing interconnection capacity. United’s Virginia Director Jim Purekal emphasized that Virginia must make the most of existing energy resources to meet rising load growth, while United’s New Jersey Policy Lead Katie Mettle highlighted the need for siting and permitting reforms to get more projects online faster.

In an article for Bloomberg Law, Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance's (United's state affiliate) Executive Director, Matthew Boms, highlights how advanced energy solutions—including wind, solar, battery storage, and demand response technologies—are bolstering the state's economy, increasing grid reliability, and helping meet rising load growth.

The Nevada Independent reports that Southwest Gas (Nevada's largest natural gas utility) is seeking to adopt an alternative ratemaking structure under the state's newly passed SB 417, which would allow it to move beyond the traditional cost-of-service model. United's Sarah Steinberg encouraged state energy regulators to draft a strong framework that details how alternative ratemaking will work while protecting consumers and meeting Nevada's energy goals.

CT Mirror reports on the current state of Connecticut's energy landscape as federal actions aim to slow down renewable energy development across the region. United's Kat Burnham urges New England state leaders to step up to defend the advanced energy industry and keep projects moving.

The Center Square reports on Pennsylvania's power system as it faces rising load growth, interconnection delays, and outdated processes. United's Sarah Steinberg and Chris D'Agostino highlighted United's new playbook guide, providing strategies to help state leaders quickly buildout new energy infrastructure, while making it more flexible and affordable. They also called for policies that support solutions such as Advanced Transmission Technologies (ATTs), smart thermostats, home batteries, and geothermal to help meet growing energy demand.

In an opinion piece for the Albuquerque Journal, United's Michael Barrio and Brian Turner discuss how New Mexico can meet growing energy demand by maximizing the use of distributed energy resources (DERs) and virtual power plants (VPPs). The article calls on state leaders to establish clear policies that unlock the full potential of existing advanced energy technologies to lower costs and strengthen grid reliability for all New Mexicans.