UMVA has learned that a stealthy campaign by radical climate activists is underway to influence obscure utility commission races across the United States, with millions of dollars being poured into these contests.
These activists understand that utility commissions play a critical role in shaping America's electric grid, deciding how electricity is generated, transmitted, and priced, and ultimately affecting the reliability and affordability of power for millions of Americans.
In a recent development, radical climate activists invested heavily in the 2025 PSC races in Georgia, helping to defeat Republican commissioners who supported an all-of-the-above energy strategy, while in Arizona, activist-backed candidates won utility elections on a platform of accelerated retirements of dispatchable generation.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that these efforts are part of a broader strategy by radical left-wing environmental activists to shift their focus to state-level regulatory races, where critical energy decisions are made, as national debates in Washington have become increasingly difficult to win.
The activists frame this debate as a choice between renewable energy and traditional generation, but this narrative is misleading; most Republican PSC and PUC commissioners support an all-of-the-above energy strategy, recognizing that meeting America's growing energy needs requires contributions from virtually every available energy source.
However, radical climate activists have shifted their messaging from climate targets to affordability, but affordable electricity means little if policymakers sacrifice reliability in pursuit of political timelines; no major industrial economy has demonstrated that a heavily renewable-dependent electric system can operate reliably and affordably without substantial dispatchable backup generation.
Electricity demand is surging, driven by artificial intelligence, data centers, domestic manufacturing, and electrification, creating the largest increase in power demand America has seen in decades, and utilities are expected to spend approximately $1.4 trillion over the next five years modernizing the electric grid and replacing aging infrastructure.
The real challenge is building a reliable, affordable, resilient, and scalable system capable of supporting long-term economic growth while withstanding major disruptions and restoring service quickly when Americans need power most; pretending otherwise may satisfy radical climate activists, but it will not keep electricity affordable or the lights on during extreme weather events.
Recent victories in Georgia and Arizona have emboldened radical climate activists, who view state utility and regulatory commission races as critical battlegrounds in American energy policy; Republicans, business leaders, and ratepayers should start paying attention, as the decisions made by these commissions will shape the affordability, reliability, resilience, and economic competitiveness of the American economy for decades to come.
