White House, bipartisan governors call on biggest US grid operator to lower prices

The Trump administration and bipartisan governors from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Indiana are pressuring PJM Interconnection, the nation's largest regional grid operator, to hold an emergency power auction and reform capacity market rules to lower electricity prices driven up by surging data center demand. The coalition wants PJM to cap existing plant auction prices, force data centers to pay more for new generation, and adopt large-load tariffs similar to Virginia's recent legislation. With PJM capacity auctions hitting record highs and electricity prices in some states rising 11–29%, the push highlights growing bipartisan concern over how data center growth is straining the grid and raising costs for residential ratepayers.