Electricity prices are rising across America — and governors are scrambling to respond.

From California to Pennsylvania to Virginia, states are experimenting with dramatically different approaches to lowering power bills: taking on utility monopolies, freezing rate hikes, reforming electricity markets, accelerating new generation, and pushing data centers to pay their own way.

On this episode of Political Climate, we unpack why energy affordability has become one of the hottest political issues heading into the 2026 midterms, what state leaders are doing about it, and whether or not their strategies will work.

Hosts Julia Pyper, Brandon Hurlbut, and Neil Chatterjee break down:

11:44 - Energy affordability in the California governor's debate
17:42 - PA Gov. Shapiro rails against the “broken” utility business model
26:14 - States demand PJM market reforms
31:53 - Virginia's energy affordability package
34:05 - A mix of strategies from Connecticut to Kentucky to Arizona and beyond
42:30 - AI data center cost drivers and state responses
52:13 - Energy affordability and the 2026 election

Plus: the team kicks off with a discussion on the geopolitical fallout from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and what it means for energy and cleantech.

Political Climate is presented by ClearPath, one of the most influential organizations working to advance American energy innovation while reducing global emissions.

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