Your weekly resource to learn what the environmental movement is saying about the news of the day and the political fight of our generation. This week, we’re covering oil and gas price gouging and how we’re holding Big Polluters accountable.
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“President Trump continues to get richer from an illegal war that he started and refuses to resolve, while Americans pay the price for his actions.”
— Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee Maggie Hassan on a new report that found Trump has made $15.5 million from oil and gas stocks since the beginning of his war in Iran.
“The gasoline price could not go lower than $4, as President Trump would like, but more above six [dollars a gallon].”
— TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné on future gas prices if an agreement is not reached in Trump’s war with Iran.
“The right to vote is sacred, and no administration should be allowed to put that right in jeopardy by making it harder for eligible voters to cast their ballots.”
— New York State Attorney General Letitia James on the Supreme Court’s decision allowing Trump to move forward with his executive order restricting mail-in ballots.
LCV AND STATE AFFILIATES URGE FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORS TO HOLD NATION’S LARGEST POWER GRID OPERATOR ACCOUNTABLE: As ratepayers’ energy bills skyrocket, LCV and our state affiliates in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are demanding reforms to the governance of PJM, the regional grid operator. The reforms outlined by these eight states include expanded transparency and greater consumer input into operations. If implemented, the reforms would help ensure PJM serves the public interest over private profits while delivering more reliable and affordable electricity.
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Director of State Climate and Equity Policy Lashelle Johnson said, “PJM has become an insulated echo-chamber for corporate interests that has cost ratepayers billions of dollars. The public has demanded common sense reforms that are standard practice for their counterparts, but PJM has spent decades listening to corporations instead of the 67 million people it serves. FERC needs to bring this hundred-year-old organization into the 21st century so we can continue building the clean, affordable future people deserve.”
IEC TAKE: Illinois Environmental Council Chief Executive Officer Jen Walling said, “Rising costs in PJM territory in Illinois are already sobering, and the influx of data centers threatens to send energy prices skyrocketing even more. As Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers sap up more and more power, we need solutions on every level to protect Illinois families from utility bill spikes and accelerate climate action. PJM has a significant role to play, and these reforms will ensure the grid operator is doing its part to more effectively manage the grid and thus more effectively deliver affordable clean energy.”
NEW JERSEY LCV TAKE: New Jersey LCV Interim Executive Director Allison McLeod said, “Under PJM’s watch, working families in New Jersey have seen their energy bills skyrocket. PJM’s grid mismanagement is reaching a breaking point and New Jerseyans are paying the price. For too many years, PJM’s opaque governance process has favored the profits of utilities and transmission owners over ratepayers, while preventing cheaper clean energy solutions from lowering costs. We are calling for urgently needed reforms to ensure the voices of average people in our state are at the table to push PJM to deliver the reliable, affordable energy our state needs.”
CVPA TAKE: Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Political & Legislative Director Katie Blume said, “Pennsylvania has been cleaning up after PJM time and time again while they continue to ignore the interests of the people footing the bill. Earlier this week, Governor Shapiro signed an executive order to protect families from the energy affordability crisis PJM continues to perpetuate. The public should not have to rely on executive action to have a voice at PJM. Billion dollar corporations do not deserve an exclusive stake in these decisions. FERC must remove the roadblocks to meaningful public engagement and rebalance the scales that have long favored a dirty, fossil-fueled status quo. Pennsylvanians cannot afford to wait.”
VALCV TAKE: Virginia LCV Chief Program and Communications Officer Lee Francis said, “Virginia’s the data center capital of the world, and our ratepayers are seeing bill increase after bill increase and dirtier air, all while PJM delays affordable, clean energy projects that can help lower costs for Virginians. We deserve a regional grid that puts Virginians first and that’s responsive to Virginia’s energy needs.”
MDLCV TAKE: During a joint press conference earlier this summer, Maryland LCV Director of Climate Policy and Justice Rebecca Rehr said, “A fundamental flaw in PJM’s governance structure is that it is not designed to prioritize ratepayer or affordability needs. We’re seeing mismanagement at PJM and the resulting electricity cost spikes in part because states and ratepayer advocates lack an adequate voice at the table.”
WISCONSIN RATEPAYERS RALLY AGAINST WE ENERGIES RATE HIKES: Wisconsin Conservation Voters gathered with partners outside of the We Energies office in Milwaukee for a press conference and rally opposing the utility’s proposed rate increase. The proposal would raise customers’ bills by about 14%. If approved, it would be the company’s sixth rate hike in six years.
WCV TAKE: Wisconsin Conservation Voters Southeast Organizer Ian Schmitt-Ernst said, “From housing to healthcare to groceries to childcare, the skyrocketing cost of living is out of control. That’s why, for the last two months, Wisconsin Conservation Voters ran a campaign to help ratepayers tell We Energies to ‘take a hike!’ Starting in July, Wisconsin Conservation Voters helped We Energies ratepayers send more than 1,000 messages to CEO Scott Lauber demanding an end to the rate hikes. From digital ad engagement, to door-to-door canvassing, to being out in communities in northeast and southeast Wisconsin, one thing is clear: people are sick of We Energies rate hikes.”
TRUMP IS PROFITING FROM SKYROCKETING OIL AND GAS PRICES: Since the beginning of Trump’s war in Iran, customers have spent an additional $71.5 billion dollars on gas. Meanwhile, the value of Trump’s oil and gas stock portfolio has increased by $15.5 million. As long as he and his billionaire polluter buddies are benefitting, Trump does not care whether or not everyday people can afford to put gas in their cars or food on the table.
OUR TAKE: On Bluesky, LCV said, “Trump’s oil and gas stock portfolio has increased by $15.5 million — from $45.6 million to $61.1 million — as a result of his War in Iran. Trump’s corruption is unprecedented and shameless. He is getting richer than ever while we pay sky-high gas prices and utility bills because of his policies.”
LCVVF LAUNCHES $1.5 MILLION AD CAMPAIGN IN MICHIGAN SENATE RACE: LCV Victory Fund announced the launch of a $1.5 million digital ad program targeting former Congressman Mike Rogers. Rogers is competing against Dr. Abdul El-Sayed for the Senate seat representing the state of Michigan. The ad focuses on Congressman Rogers’ history of supporting cost hikes on utilities, groceries, and prescriptions.
LCVVF TAKE: LCV Victory Fund SVP of Campaigns Sara Schreiber said, “Congressman Rogers has demonstrated time and time again that he is putting his own political gain and polluters before the Michiganders, who are footing the bill. Michiganders deserve someone who will stand up to the Trump administration and Big Polluters and actually lower costs. We are meeting voters where they are and making sure they know who is fighting for them and who is cozying up to Big Polluters.”
ON THE BLOG: It’s National Park Week! To celebrate, we asked LCVers to share some of their favorite memories in our nation’s parks, and what’s next on their park bucket list. And, keeping with the theme of celebrations, learn how states in the Conservation Voter Movement have helped secure voting rights for people across the country through state VRAs.
ON OUR SOCIALS: A gentle reminder that, as the rest of us struggle to pay our bills and cope with extreme weather, Trump and Big Polluters are making enormous profits at the expense of our communities and environment.
TOMORROW: House Oversight Democrats host a field hearing on Affordability and Cost of Living Crisis at 10am PT – Livestream here.
AUGUST 29: Comment period closes on EPA’s proposal to roll back emissions standards for heavy duty vehicles.
SEPTEMBER 7: Labor Day.
SEPTEMBER 15: National Voter Registration Day.
SEPTEMBER 21: Comment period closes on USDA’s proposal to repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
OCTOBER 5: Supreme Court oral arguments in Suncor v. Boulder.
©2026 League of Conservation Voters