Washington, DC: Yesterday Governors from Delaware, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Tennessee wrote to PJM regulators “as a bipartisan group of Governors elected by the many millions of citizens of our respective states, to tell you that fundamental changes, and new leadership, are needed to restore confidence in PJM’s ability to meet the many challenges of this moment.” PJM, which coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in a large portion of the eastern United States, has overseen a massive rise in utility prices over the last five years and currently has several leadership vacancies. 

Alongside their Governors, leading environmental groups from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland joined their governors calling for major reform.

“We commend Governor Murphy and his counterparts in states across the PJM grid for advancing bold new initiatives designed to reform the out-of-control grid operator and rein in skyrocketing costs,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director, New Jersey LCV. “PJM has grossly mismanaged our grid, denying consumers cheaper clean energy solutions and helping drive energy prices even higher.”

We are calling on Governor Murphy and the legislature to continue the momentum putting New Jersey in charge of our own energy future by passing landmark legislation committing us to 100% clean energy by 2035 this year. This bill will ensure that our state becomes a national leader in 21st century clean energy, creating union jobs, reducing air pollution and delivering lower costs for working families in the face of Trump’s attacks.”

The recent PJM auction, which saw prices jump by 29%, only underscores the importance of bold action. This increase is because of the dismal outlook caused by Donald Trump’s policies doubling down on dirty, more expensive energy to enrich billionaire oil and gas CEOs on the backs of working families. They are driving prices higher by undercutting access to cheaper, faster, healthier, and local clean energy options.

“We applaud Governor Shapiro for standing firm in his commitment to hold PJM accountable for skyrocketing energy costs,” Molly Parzen, Executive Director, Conservation Voters of PA. “We reject PJM’s notion that there isn’t enough energy to meet rising demands while hundreds of renewable energy projects languish on the queue. Time and time again, we have seen PJM prioritize dirty energy over renewables, even when renewables are the cheaper, quicker option. We echo the sentiments of Governor Shapiro and his counterparts that PJM must make meaningful changes.”

Recently, an overwhelming bipartisan majority of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill (H.B. 1599) to increase transparency and accountability for PJM – crucial first steps in ensuring energy remains reliable and affordable for all Pennsylvanians. CVPA calls on Governor Shapiro and the state legislature to continue this important work to hold PJM accountable.

“Marylanders have seen their electricity bills rapidly increase as a direct result of decisions made by PJM,” Kim Coble, Executive Director, Maryland LCV. “Maryland LCV is grateful to Governor Moore for this unprecedented bipartisan action demanding accountability in these decisions, and for partnering with governors across our grid to make sure PJM makes more responsible decisions that protect ratepayers.

 These governance reforms at PJM are one important part of an urgently needed effort to address the crisis in energy reliability and affordability, especially since we know renewable sources and storage are the fastest to deploy and most cost effective solutions available today.”

In the 2025 session, the Maryland legislature passed and Governor Moore signed a bill to require utilities to report their votes at the regional grid operator (HB 121/SB 37). We urge continued regional cooperation and building pressure for a suite of reforms that will build towards a cleaner and more reliable regional grid.