
Energy on the Ballot: Who Do You Blame for Your Electric Bill?
Electricity bills are rising across America, and for the first time in years, they're a campaign issue. Candidates on the left and the right are promising to cut your power bill. But are they even the ones in charge? What gets decided in Washington, and what gets decided in your state capital? And how do you tell a real promise from an empty one? Those questions are what Energy on the Ballot is for: a new series from Energy Empire, released every Monday until Election Day. To kick it off, Jigar and Jamie sit down with Arnab Pal, co-founder and executive director of Deploy Action, who spends his days in state capitals pushing laws that make utilities use the grid they already have before they build more and bill you for it. Together they walk through the basics: what really makes a power bill go up, who signs off on it, and which of this year's promises to lower it can be kept. Recorded in person at the new Energy Empire studio in New York. In this episode: Why the backlash against data centers is really a backlash against AI, and why the tech companies didn't see it coming The extra $5.77 a month on Arkansas power bills after the local utility refused to let Google pay for its own grid upgrades Promises made: Trump's pledge to halve energy bills in 12 months, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill's rate freeze that became a $25 credit, and a Big Tech pledge nobody can point a dollar to Paying people to use less power at peak times is 80% cheaper than building a new gas plant, so why aren't more utilities offering it? Why your state legislator matters more than your member of Congress when it comes to your power bill Learn more at energyempire.fm


















