Here’s who made it this way — and who can fix it.
Nearly 80 million Americans couldn’t afford their electricity bills last year. People are choosing between keeping the lights on and buying food. Between paying the electric bill and paying for school supplies.
Residential electricity costs are up almost 40% (!) since 2021 — and federal policy is making it worse. The Trump administration is blocking cheaper, cleaner energy from coming online while forcing aging, expensive fossil fuel plants to stay open. Data centers are creating a surge in electricity demand, and everyday people are subsidizing it. A war with Iran is driving up oil prices.
Washington D.C. is causing this. But states can fix it.
Case in point: State lawmakers in Maryland just passed the Utility RELIEF Act. It holds utility companies accountable, requires data centers to pay their fair share for energy infrastructure, and caps monthly bills for low-income residents. That means families will save about $120 a month to put toward groceries, school supplies, prescriptions, gas, or whatever else they need.
So why isn’t this policy in place in every state?
Every state has a legislature. Some of them work to improve lives. Others don’t — because the lawmakers who want to act don’t have governing power yet.
The States Project builds majority power for state lawmakers who will show up to improve lives. And in some states, a couple hundred votes is all it takes to change who’s in power.
Focusing your activism on state legislatures is the most strategic political action you can take right now—and we need more people focused on this fight. Sign up for our email list here.
