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, much like past weeks, energy bills are too high – we’re covering state clean energy solutions and naming the Dirty Dozen candidates whose decisions have driven up our electricity and heating bills.
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“The record is there, they simply can’t be trusted. And ultimately they are in races that can be won if pro-environment voters show up.”
– Nate Fowler, LCV Victory Fund vice president of campaigns, characterizing the candidates on the 2026 Dirty Dozen.
“They paid me to not work for 10 months. That is not in any way a responsible way to spend my taxpayer money. This is my taxpayer money and yours.”
— Lisa Hanlon, a former EPA staffer who left the agency as part of last year’s massive resignation program, on new reports that show EPA paid staffers $200 million not to work.
“Husted got a million bucks backing his campaign. First Energy got a bailout. And Ohioans got screwed.”
— LCV Victory Fund and EDF Action Votes in a new ad targeting Sen. Jon Husted on his corrupt track record on energy prices.
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COURT RULES AGAINST TRUMP ORDER KEEPING MICHIGAN’S CAMPBELL COAL PLANT OPEN: A U.S. District Court of Appeals ruled to override the Trump administration’s “emergency” order forcing the outdated and expensive Campbell Coal Plant to remain open past its originally scheduled May 2025 retirement. The administration has extended the order five times, and as energy costs continue to soar, keeping the aging facility online has cost more than $640,000 a day, totaling $259 million as of the end of June.
MLCV TAKE: Michigan League of Conservation Voters Federal Government Affairs Director Bentley Johnson said, “For over a year, the Trump administration has illegally forced the outdated and expensive Campbell Coal Plant to remain open despite outcry from the community and skyrocketing energy bills. Today’s court decision is a win for ratepayers, our air and our water. We commend Dana Nessel for working to challenge Trump’s illegal overreach that’s raising our energy costs.”
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATORS SECURE MAJOR WINS FOR AFFORDABILITY, CLEAN ENERGY, AND CLIMATE: California lawmakers ended the 2026 legislative session by passing a slew of bills that will increase affordability, expand access to clean energy, and fight climate change. The legislation included a data centers guardrails package that requires operators to pay all associated energy costs so they don’t raise Californians’ bills, ensures data centers don’t threaten the state’s clean energy goals, and incentivizes data centers to procure their own clean energy. Additional bills promote building electrification, mandate environmental review for polluting facilities, expand access to solar including plug-in solar, and increase oversight of utility spending to prevent companies from passing on unnecessary costs to customers. Governor Newsom is expected to sign the bills into law.
ENVIROVOTERS TAKE: California EnviroVoters Chief Strategy Officer Shannon Olivieri Hovis said, “California legislators closed a bumpy year by standing with families over corporate interests. The Senate and Assembly advanced nearly every climate justice bill left on the table this session, matching the overwhelming voter support for clean air, healthier and cheaper energy options, environmental protection, and corporate accountability. Seventy-eight legislators voted to close a dangerous loophole that let polluting development projects skip environmental and health reviews. Aligned with voters, legislators sent a powerful package of policy solutions and climate investments to the Governor’s desk. Bills to deliver relief on climate-driven household costs, hold corporate polluters accountable, safeguard clean air and water, and protect our democracy now need only the Governor’s signature to start improving people’s lives.”
VCV LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT COMMUNITIES FROM DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT: Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) launched a new campaign called “Don’t Data Center Vermont” in the wake of Governor Phil Scott’s veto of bipartisan legislation that would have held data centers accountable earlier this year. The campaign intends to inform Vermonters about the impacts of data center development and build public support for strong data center regulations.
VCV TAKE: Vermont Conservation Voters Executive Director Dan Fingas said, “The threat of data centers is real in Vermont, and the governor’s veto in June has left Vermont unprotected and at risk. Data centers across the country have raised energy rates, polluted waters, and left host communities with increased noise and air pollution. We must protect Vermonters and our communities, and let the billionaire Big Tech corporations who are building them know that Vermont is not for sale.
‘Don’t Data Center Vermont’ calls on Vermonters to stand up for their communities. It’s a campaign intended to give Vermonters tools to make their voices heard, including an option to sign a petition, get a lawn sign, and get involved with Vermont Conservation Voters to ensure data centers don’t steamroll Vermont communities or damage valuable natural resources.”
REPUBLICANS HAVE 99 PROBLEMS AND ENERGY AFFORDABILITY IS #1: LCV Victory Fund released a new memo highlighting the lies about energy affordability Trump and Republicans peddled at their Republican Convention this week. Republicans couldn’t seem to get their message straight as they tried to say that energy is affordable right now, while the cost of diesel is reaching legal limits and people are experiencing record high utility bills. Per usual, Republicans continue to prioritize billionaire executives, Big Oil and Big Polluters over hardworking families that are scraping by to make ends meet. Read the full memo here.
REPUBLICANS’ SILENCE ON CLEAN ENERGY OPENS DOORS FOR DEMOCRATS: LCV released a memo in collaboration with Climate Power and NRDC Action Fund showing how candidates have an opportunity to take advantage of the silence left by Trump and his Republican allies to talk about the real clean energy solutions that will actually save people money and address the climate crisis. Read the full memo here.
GAS PRICES TOP $100/BARREL (AGAIN): Amid rising tensions in Trump’s war in Iran, oil prices on Wednesday morning once again topped the $100/barrel threshold. Gas prices rose to an average of $4.22/gallon, the highest price drivers have seen since June, and the highest ever this late in the year. Skyrocketing oil and gas prices are driving up prices across the board, including on groceries and other everyday essentials, and forcing families to make tough financial decisions.
OUR TAKE: On Bluesky, LCV said, “As oil hits $100 a barrel again, the public now sees Oil and Gas as the ‘most corrupt’ industry.”
LCV CAUTIONS LAWMAKERS, RATEPAYER PROTECTION ACT MUST BE A FIRST STEP, NOT LAST STEP: In anticipation of next week’s vote on the Ratepayer Protection Act, the League of Conservation Voters cautioned members of Congress that the Ratepayer Protection Act, on its own, falls short of ensuring real protections that families need to address concerns with data centers and skyrocketing energy costs.
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo said, “The fact that this bill is being brought to the floor next week underscores what a pressing issue skyrocketing utility costs are for people across this country, but it represents only a first step. With only a weak directive to states to voluntarily consider adopting cost protections against the energy costs of data centers for ratepayers, state regulators could ultimately choose to ignore this bill.
“We call on members of Congress who are serious about responding to skyrocketing energy prices to support more comprehensive and impactful action like the Energy Bills Relief Act–something zero Republicans have done so far.
“No Representative should feel like a vote for this bill solves the concerns people back home have with data centers. The public is looking for their elected officials to take on utility corruption and guaranteeing that Big Tech will pay the full costs of infrastructure for their data centers and build the clean, reliable grid we all need. Lawmakers must also address the significant concerns communities have about data centers’ impact on water, air, climate, and noise pollution. They are fed up with corrupt backroom deals that cut out communities and don’t want data centers powered by dirtier and more expensive gas, diesel, or coal.
“The job won’t be done until there are real, enforceable guardrails to ensure environmental and public health protections, meaningful community input and benefits for communities hosting these facilities, and until Big Tech — not the public – pays the full cost of electricity and water and broader infrastructure upgrades.”
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TRUMP ADMIN ATTEMPTS TO FURTHER WEAKEN CLEAN WATER ACT: EPA and the Department of the Army released a supplemental proposal attempting to strip federal protections from nearly all freshwater wetlands and millions of miles of streams across the country. These protections are guaranteed under the Clean Water Act, which the MAGA captured Supreme Court dramatically weakened in its ruling in Sackett v. EPA.
OUR TAKE: LCV Healthy Communities Program Director Madeleine Foote said, “As families wrap up a summer spent swimming in their favorite river and fishing in their nearby lake, the Trump administration has decided to triple-down on their rollback of clean water safeguards–allowing big polluters to jeopardize our waters for all seasons going forward. While weakly trying to downplay the extreme measure by framing it as a ‘supplement’ to the already-terrible proposal they released last year, today’s proposal is devastating, eliminating federal safeguards for nearly all our nation’s freshwater wetlands and millions of miles of streams. Once again, Trump is putting the profits of his corporate cronies ahead of the health and safety of our families and the places we love.”
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FEDERAL APPEALS COURT REVOKES PERMIT FOR PROPOSED METHANE PIPELINE EXPANSION PROJECT: The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a permit for a planned underwater pipeline that would deliver polluting methane gas from Long Island to New Jersey through the Raritan Bay. The panel of three federal judges ruled that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) issued a water quality certification for the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline “arbitrarily and capriciously” and failed to meet requirements for the project developer to prove that their plans comply with state regulations. Now NJDEP must reconsider the permit, either revising or denying it, or providing supplemental documentation and justification to explain their approval. If built, the pipeline will threaten water quality in the region and contribute to increased climate pollution.
NEW JERSEY LCV TAKE: New Jersey LCV Interim Executive Director Allison McLeod said, “Today’s ruling by a federal appeals court is a monumental victory for New Jersey’s environment, public safety and working families who are tired of paying higher prices to further enrich billionaire oil and gas executives. The court recognized what communities across Central Jersey and the Shore have argued for years — the state failed to prove that this pipeline could be built without stirring up toxic pollution in our waters.”
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LCVVF NAMES 2026 DIRTY DOZEN: LCV Victory Fund released its Dirty Dozen, which, for 30 years, has identified the candidates for federal office who most consistently side against the environment. This year, the list carries an added, urgent throughline: the skyrocketing energy costs that will be a major deciding factor for a crucial set of swing voters. Every candidate on this year’s Dirty Dozen has a record, a vote, a lobbying history, or a policy position that is helping to drive up the electricity and heating bills their constituents pay. This year’s Dirty Dozen includes: Jon Husted (OH-Sen), Mike Rogers (MI-Sen), Michael Whatley, (NC-Sen), Susan Collins (ME-Sen), Mike Collins (GA-Sen), Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), David Valadao (CA-22), Bill Huizenga (MI-04), Gabe Evans (CO-08), Scott Perry (PA-10), Derrick Van Orden (WI-03) and Mike Lawler (NY-17).
LCVVF, EDF LAUNCH $4 MILLION ACCOUNTABILITY AD CAMPAIGN IN OHIO: EDF Action Votes and LCV Victory Fund launched a new $4 million digital ad program in Ohio, targeting Senator Jon Husted. The ad focuses on Husted’s role raising utility bills for Ohioans and his role delivering a bailout to FirstEnergy. The ad will run on CTV, YouTube, and Spotify until September 14th.
LCVVF TAKE: LCV Victory Fund Senior Vice President of Campaigns Sara Schreiber said, “Ohioans deserve more than an elected official who is in the pockets of monopoly utility companies. Senator Husted has proven time and time again that he is more focused on giving handouts to a corrupt utility than lowering costs for hardworking Ohio families. We are making sure Ohio residents know that there is a choice this Election Day between who is working to lower costs across the board including utility costs and who is working with Big Polluters to increase costs.”
EDF ACTION VOTES: EDF Action Votes President Jack Pratt said, “Ohio families are watching their utility bills go up, and Jon Husted is only making matters worse. Ohioans deserve a Senator who will fight for more affordable energy, not politicians who side with utility companies to pad their profits.”
LCVAF CANDIDATES WIN NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARIES: LCV Action Fund-endorsed candidates Chris Pappas (Senate), Stefany Shaheen (NH-01), and Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) won their respective primary elections in New Hampshire. Last month, LCV Victory Fund ran a $550,000 ad campaign supporting Stefany Shaheen in her primary. View the full list of LCV Action Fund endorsements for this cycle.
LCVAF TAKE: LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo said, “Pappas, Shaheen, and Goodlander are the environmental champions we need in New Hampshire to fight back against the MAGA agenda to gut critical protections for our air and water, our public lands, and free and fair elections,” said LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo. “While our communities experienced record heat and record energy bills this summer, President Trump and Congressional Republicans have only continued their attacks on clean energy — the most affordable and fastest energy source to bring online. LCVAF is proud to back these pro-democracy, pro-environment candidates and we are all in to put control of Congress back in the hands of leaders who will protect people and future generations.”
LCVAF CANDIDATE JACK REED WINS RHODE ISLAND PRIMARY: LCV Action Fund endorsed candidate Senator Jack Reed won his primary election in Rhode Island. For more about Senator Reed and other LCV Action Fund endorsed candidates, visit our full list of endorsements for this cycle.
LCVAF TAKE: LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo said, “Jack Reed is a longtime environmental champion who will continue to fight for people and the planet in Congress. The stakes for the air we breathe and the water we drink are higher than ever, and we need strong leaders who will protect our communities and future generations instead of the profits of Big Polluters.”
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ON THE BLOG: Stay tuned for exciting new content, coming soon to The Power Source blog!
ON OUR SOCIALS: We all agree, our energy bills are too dang expensive. As it turns out, LCV Victory Fund is naming names, letting everyone know which 12 candidates for federal office have made some of the worst decisions that are driving up electricity and heating bills. Meanwhile, Trump is using our taxpayer dollars for his vanity projects. These are some bad eggs, y’all.
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COMING UP:
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.
OCTOBER 12: Indigenous People’s Day.
OCTOBER 24: National Vote Early Day.
©2026 League of Conservation Voters