Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright were joined Friday by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) and outgoing Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), as well as Indiana Energy Secretary Suzanne Jaworowski, to call on the PJM Interconnection grid operator to bring down prices.
The policies they are pushing PJM to adopt include requiring data centers to pay for new power that's being built on their behalf.
They are also calling on the regional grid operator — which manages electricity for 13 East Coast and Midwest states, as well as Washington, D.C. — to cap the price that power plants can charge in electricity market auctions.
"We have a united front standing here today that's demanding immediate reform," Burgum said, adding that the group believes its proposal will "deliver more power, more reliability and keep more money in hardworking Americans' pockets."
Electricity prices are increasing both nationally and regionally. In December, power prices were up 6.7 percent on average nationwide year over year, far outpacing general inflation, which was just 2.7 percent.
Meanwhile, some PJM states are among the hardest hit, with New Jersey power prices up 15 percent year-over-year in October, Virginia prices up 11 percent, and D.C. prices up 29 percent.
The bipartisan push comes as tech companies seek to rapidly build out their data centers amid the race to develop new AI models.
Data centers require extensive amounts of energy and have raised concerns about how the grid will handle the increased demand and whether this is contributing to rising consumer electricity prices.
They have faced growing local opposition over concerns about rising prices and potential environmental effects.
At least 16 data center projects worth a combined $64 billion were blocked or delayed between May 2024 and March 2025, according to study from Data Center Watch.
President Trump said late Monday that his administration was working with major U.S. tech firms to secure commitments on the issue, praising Microsoft's new plan to reduce the impact of the company's data centers on electricity bills and water resources.
"I never want Americans to pay higher Electricity bills because of Data Centers," the president wrote in a post on Truth Social.
"We are the 'HOTTEST' Country in the World, and Number One in AI," he added. "Data Centers are key to that boom, and keeping Americans FREE and SECURE but, the big Technology Companies who build them must 'pay their own way.'"
Check out the full report at TheHill.com.
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