Utilities seek record $18.6B in rate increases amid gap between campaign promises and energy costs

Utilities requested $18.6 billion in rate increases in the first half of 2026, while energy prices remain elevated despite campaign pledges to cut costs, widening a gap between political rhetoric and market realities.

First covered Sep 24, 2026 · 10:17 AM PT · 1 article

Utilities seek record $18.6B in rate increases amid gap between campaign promises and energy costs — Image via heatmap.news

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2d Heatmap News The Energy Trust Gap Is Crashing Our Grid — In September 2024, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump told a crowd in Wilmington: “We will cut your energy prices in half … Mark it down , and you can…

Primary sources

bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov Remarks by President Biden in Roundtable with Business and Labor Leaders on the Inflation Reduction Act | The White House

cleanpower.org Osw Stop Work Order Study 260128 2 (cleanpower.org)

doi.gov Interior Announces New Energy Agreement to Strengthen American Energy Security and Lower Costs | U.S. Department of the Interior

More coverage from around the web

tdworld.com Utilities Ask for $18.6 Billion in Rate Increases Through First Half of 2026 | TD World

powerlines.org Utilities Request $18.6 Billion in Rate Increases in First Half of 2026 - PowerLines

gcn.com Investor-owned utilities sought $18.6 billion in rate hikes in the first half of 2026, and regulators have been approving more than half of every dollar requested in recent years

latitudemedia.com Utilities request $18.6 billion in rate hikes so far this year | Latitude Media

newsnationnow.com Power bills could keep climbing as utilities request $9.2B in rate hikes

Appeared in: 2026-09-24 (#7) · 2026-09-25 (#9)

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Utilities seek record $18.6B in rate increases amid gap between campaign promises and energy costs

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