As FERC and PJM draft plans to rein in hyperscalers, some states are taking matters into their own hands. This week, Pennsylvania and New Jersey both announced rules for data centers—none of which are binding (yet). 

In NJ, Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s new plan would require developers to 1) pay for their electricity and 2) publicly report energy and water consumption (legislation is in the works for these orders). But that’s not enough for some Garden State residents and environmental advocates…who are calling for a full-on moratorium. 

And as we recently reported, PA wants to test out positive reinforcement—awarding developers who follow “best practices” with faster permitting and tax benefits.

Big picture: If there’s one thing red and blue state officials can agree on—besides nuclear—it’s a distaste for these resource-guzzling facilities. So far, 20 states are considering (or have passed) data center restrictions. 

As electricity bills skyrocket around the country, the energy burden (aka the percentage of income spent on energy costs) hasn’t spread equally.

New England tops the list: According to a new Sierra Club analysis, ME, VT, and NH households face some of the highest average burdens, ranging from 4.3% to 3.5% (these states rely on pricey fuel oil for heating). When counting low-income households exclusively, ME and VT residents shoulder an average energy burden of over 10% (MS and WV were close behind).

Black and Native American people are overrepresented in high energy burden communities—at rates over 3.5x and 7x higher than the general population. 

The caveat: The recent report draws on energy cost data from 2022…and home electricity prices rose over 9% between 2025 and 2026 alone. So future analysis would likely highlight even starker disparities.

The latest: All six New England governors are asking FERC to reject a proposal from regional TOs, who asked to bump their ROE from 9.57% to 11.39%. This request came weeks after FERC directed these TOs to lower their ROE…and issue >$1B in customer refunds. 

The big picture: New England’s transmission rates are over 2x the average in other organized markets, and states have rallied for years to shrink them. 

Interesting timing: Amid all the drama, New England TOs are floating repair projects that would cost over $600M. 

Texas keeps on adding (clean) electrons. Enbridge recently powered on part of its $1.1B, 815-MW solar farm—one of the country’s largest. This first phase adds 400 MW of solar capacity to the Lone Star State’s grid.

Trend watch: ERCOT also hopes to rack up more battery storage, offering qualified market participants a one-time payment of $1.5K/MW (up to $25M total). Their goal? To become “an industry leader for grid reliability and resilience” and lower customer rates, per the proposal. 

Not long after X-energy’s record-breaking $1B+ IPO, Newcleo has announced its own plan to go public. The Paris-based startup plans to merge with a blank-check company—typically a faster route than a traditional IPO. 

This deal, slated to close in H2 2026, would place Newcleo’s value at around $2.4B. The move will “enable us to rapidly advance our reactor deployment and fuel manufacturing capabilities across Europe and the United ​States,” CEO Stefano Buono said.

While we’re here: A Utah nuclear project caught up in legal challenges is back on track—in a smaller package. Blue Castle Holdings is addressing community concerns by shifting the plant to SMRs and opting for air cooling to cut water use. The new facility fits into UT Gov. Spencer Cox’s push for new capacity (with an emphasis on nuclear).

The utility has issued three RFPs for renewables. These call for 1.1 GW of wind, solar, and hydro capacity. Appalachian Power says these projects must live in the PJM footprint (or connect to the utility distribution system), and come online by Dec. 2029. This electron injection arrives as PJM faces a capacity shortage as early as next year.