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The data overwhelmingly supports Wright’s claim. A map published by the U.S. Energy Information Agency shows a striking pattern that Democrats would rather voters never see. States with the most expensive electricity in the nation include California, New York, Hawaii, and much of New England — all reliable Democratic strongholds with aggressive green energy mandates.
By contrast, states with the lowest electricity costs look very different. Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, North Dakota, and Iowa — overwhelmingly Republican-led states — consistently deliver cheaper power to residents.
Wright pointed directly to policy choices that explain the divide. Electricity prices surged 6.7 percent year over year in December alone, and they have jumped nearly 40 percent since 2020. That spike didn’t happen in a vacuum. It followed years of “UK-style” energy policies embraced under both the Obama and Biden administrations.
Those policies aggressively forced the shutdown of coal plants while pushing costly wind and solar mandates onto utilities. The result has been predictable: skyrocketing rates and an increasingly fragile power grid.
Over the past five years, utility rates in Democrat-controlled states climbed at roughly twice the pace of inflation. In Republican-led states, electricity prices rose at about half the inflation rate. The difference isn’t geography or luck — it’s governance.
States that enforce Renewable Portfolio Standards, which force utilities to rely on expensive and unreliable renewable energy sources, have electricity prices roughly 50 percent higher than states without those mandates. Twenty-eight states currently impose these requirements, and families are paying the price every month.
The consequences of those policies became painfully clear during Winter Storm Fern. While green energy advocates promised windmills and solar panels would keep the lights on, reality told a very different story. Wind and solar output collapsed just as demand surged.
Coal plants — many of which Wright had acted to prevent from being prematurely shut down — stepped in and saved the grid. Emergency orders were issued to keep coal facilities operating in Washington, Indiana, Michigan, and Colorado. Those plants provided the baseload power that prevented widespread blackouts during life-threatening conditions.
“Hundreds of American lives have been saved, because of [Trump] leaning in and stopping the killing of coal and revitalizing coal,” Wright said at a White House cabinet meeting.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation later confirmed coal’s vital role, noting in a November report that coal remains essential during extreme weather events. Unlike natural gas, which depends on just-in-time supply chains, coal can be stockpiled directly at power plants, making it far more reliable when systems are under stress.
Environmental activists have attempted to downplay these realities. The Sierra Club even commissioned a study claiming that keeping one Colorado coal unit running would cost $85 million annually. What the report failed to address was the catastrophic impact of removing 446 megawatts of dependable power from an already strained grid.
Grid operators across the country — from MISO to ERCOT to PJM Interconnection — are now warning of “high risk” electricity shortfalls over the next five years. Forced plant closures combined with exploding demand from data centers and artificial intelligence are pushing the system toward failure.
Yes, AI means blackouts if policies don’t change.
Even Texas, often attacked by climate activists, offers a powerful lesson. After the devastating Winter Storm Uri in 2021, Texas leaders enacted serious reforms to strengthen grid reliability. During Winter Storm Fern, the ERCOT-managed grid held firm — all while maintaining one of the ten lowest utility rates in the nation.
That’s what happens when results matter more than climate virtue signaling.
America has more than enough coal, natural gas, and uranium to power the nation affordably and reliably. The only thing standing in the way is political will.
Wright and Republican-led states have shown the path forward. And if your electricity bill is crushing your family’s budget, remember this: it didn’t happen by accident. Your leaders chose it.
Voters should keep that fact front and center when Election Day arrives.
