As electric bills rise, some states are focusing on the growing profits of utilities

Nbcwashington · 🇮🇳 public India · May 17, 2026 · 1108 words · By Marc Levy; The Associated Press

Utility Rate Hikes Political Election Cycle Corporate Profitability vs. Consumer Affordability AI Energy Consumption

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What to know about Utility Rate Hikes

The artificial intelligence boom is leading to fights in some states over growing utility profits, as governors, attorneys general and others protesting rising electricity bills say cash-strapped residents are stuck in a broken system.

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 3

Topics 4

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage

Left20%

Center80%

Right0%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Officials and lawmakers in at least six states — including Arizona, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania — are going to new lengths to try to block rate increases proposed by utilities.

Common ground

Some are pressing utilities to completely change their model for financing major system upgrades.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Utility Rate Hikes story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that AES Indiana... sought a 10.7% return on its cash?
How does this story connect Utility Rate Hikes with Political Election Cycle over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/electric-bills-rise-st…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Fear 70% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

schedule Pending 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

schedule

Claim 1: “AES Indiana... sought a 10.7% return on its cash.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 2: “Their first big test is a request by AES Indiana for a 10.1% increase, or $193 million a year more from ratepayers”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a specific 10.1% or $193 million increase request by AES Indiana.

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Claim 3: “the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities launched what its president, Christine Guhl Sadovy, called one of the most consequential regulatory reviews in a generation, to question how utilities "should earn revenue in a modern energy system."”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities launched a review and quote President Christine Guhl Sadovy regarding the consequential nature of the review and utility revenue models.

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web search NEUTRAL — The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) is a state agency with regulatory authority over utilities, including natural gas, electricity, water, telecommunications, and cable television. The Bo…
https://www.nj.gov/bpu/newsroom/2026/approved/20260505.html

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web search NEUTRAL — Earlier this month, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities launched what its president, Christine Guhl Sadovy, called one of the most consequential regulatory reviews in a generation, to question ho…
https://ktar.com/national-news/as-electric-bills-rise-some-s…

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web search NEUTRAL — On Wednesday, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities issued a statement announcing that it will look specifically at “whether New Jersey’s century-old utility business model — one that rewards elect…
https://heatmap.news/energy/pjm-new-jersey-pennsylvania?_hsm…

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Claim 4: “In Indiana, Republican Gov. Mike Braun appointed a new slate of utility commissioners with a mission to face down rate increases.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (E&E News, WTRE Radio) confirm Governor Mike Braun appointed new utility commissioners to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to address energy affordability and rate increases.

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web search NEUTRAL — Mike Braun has completed an overhaul of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, appointing three new members to the state body tasked with setting electricity and gas rates. The Republican governor…
https://www.eenews.net/articles/indiana-governor-overhauls-u…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mike Braun on Friday completed his near-remake of the powerful group overseeing the state’s biggest utility companies — naming three appointees to the five-member Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission…
https://wibc.com/810227/to-fight-rising-bills-gov-braun-name…

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web search NEUTRAL — – Governor Mike Braun. Last week, Indiana Michigan Power announced it will propose a base rate deduction for customers due to increased revenue generated by large new electricity users, including data…
https://www.wtreradio.com/regional-news/gov-mike-brauns-ener…

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Claim 5: “Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat who is seeking reelection this year, is challenging two utility rate increase requests in front of the state’s utility regulatory board.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources confirm that Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is challenging rate increase requests from utilities like APS and TEP before the state's regulatory board.

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web search NEUTRAL — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat who is seeking reelection this year, is challenging two utility rate increase requests in front of the state’s utility regulatory board.
https://wtop.com/national/2026/05/as-electric-bills-rise-som…

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web search NEUTRAL — PHOENIX (AZFamily) —Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is opposing a proposed rate hike from Arizona Public Service before state regulators, saying the increase would shift hundreds of millions of do…
https://www.kold.com/2026/03/03/arizona-ag-kris-mayes-challe…

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web search NEUTRAL — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes addressed about 100 Tucson residents Tuesday, at a town hall about Tucson Electric Power’s proposal to raise residential consumer rates by 14%.
https://news.azpm.org/p/azpmnews/2026/1/14/227979-ag-kris-ma…

help

Claim 6: “AES Indiana — whose parent company is being taken private in a $33.4 billion deal led by private investment giant BlackRock”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the parent company of AES Indiana being taken private in a $33.4 billion deal led by BlackRock.

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Claim 7: “Officials and lawmakers in at least six states — including Arizona, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania — are going to new lengths to try to block rate increases proposed by utilities.”

CORROBORATED

The claim is corroborated by multiple sources describing actions in Arizona (AG Mayes), New Jersey (BPU review), Pennsylvania (Gov. Shapiro), and Indiana (Gov. Braun). While the specific list of six states is a summary, the individual actions in these states are documented across multiple news reports.

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web search NEUTRAL — This is a list of elected officials serving the city of Los Angeles, California. It includes member of the Los Angeles City Council, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, California State Assembly,…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_elected_officials_in…

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web search NEUTRAL — Meet Los Angeles elected officials and stay informed about city governance. Discover key leaders shaping policies and serving the community.
https://lacity.gov/government/elected-officials

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 2, 2026 · Use USAGov’s Contact Your Elected Officials tool to get contact information for your members of Congress, the president, and state and local officials.
https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

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Claim 8: “Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro pressured PECO, the Philadelphia-area utility subsidiary of Exelon Corp., to withdraw a 12.5% rate increase, or $20 per month extra for the average residential customer.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent news sources (NBC10, WHYY, Glenside Local) confirm that Governor Josh Shapiro pressured PECO to withdraw a proposed 12.5% rate increase.

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web search NEUTRAL — PECO announced today the withdrawing of a proposed rate hike that would have increased customers’ utility bills by about $34 per month. The utility provider said in a press release that the decision c…
https://glensidelocal.com/peco-withdraws-proposed-12-5-rate-…

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web search NEUTRAL — PECO announced on April 16 it decided to withdraw a proposed rate hike that would have increased customers' utility bills by about $34 per month.Josh Shapiro, who had demanded the proposal be withdraw…
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/peco-withdraws-pr…

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web search NEUTRAL — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro calls PECO rate hike request ‘pure greed’. PECO seeks to raise rates again by 12.5% for Philly and suburban electric customers. The governor's office says Shapiro believ…
https://whyy.org/articles/peco-rate-hike-case-withdrawn-shap…

info

Claim 9: “In March, the Energy and Policy Institute issued a report that said the profits of 110 for-profit utilities rose from just under $39 billion in 2021 to over $52 billion in 2024.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific figures (110 utilities, $39B to $52B) are mentioned in one news report citing the Energy and Policy Institute. Other search results mention the institute but do not independently verify these specific numbers.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In March, the Energy and Policy Institute issued a report that said the profits of 110 for-profit utilities rose from just under $39 billion in 2021 to over $52 billion in 2024.
https://www.kxl.com/as-electric-bills-rise-some-states-are-f…

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web search NEUTRAL — according to the Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy.
https://www.energyinst.org/statistical-review

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web search NEUTRAL — Pepco rate hike faces scrutiny over profits, ROE, and alleged coordinated testimony.Before joining the Energy and Policy Institute in 2014, Matt was a research assistant at the Center for American Pro…
https://energyandpolicy.org/pepco-maryland-rate-hike-2026/

info

Claim 10: “Calvin Butler, Exelon's president and CEO, told analysts on its first-quarter earnings call May 6 that it was committed to justifying what it spends and keeping energy bills as low as possible.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific quote from the May 6 earnings call is reported by KXL. Other sources confirm the existence of the call and the CEO's role, but do not independently repeat the specific quote.

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web search NEUTRAL — Calvin Butler, Exelon’s president and CEO, told analysts on its first-quarter earnings call May 6 that it was committed to justifying what it spends and keeping energy bills as low as possible.
https://www.kxl.com/as-electric-bills-rise-some-states-are-f…

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web search NEUTRAL — Hosted by Brian Sullivan, “Last Call” is a fast-paced, entertaining business show that explores the intersection of money, culture and policy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR26hWTqbNI

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web search NEUTRAL — The conference call will be led by Exelon President and CEO, Calvin Butler, and Exelon Executive Vice President and CFO, Jeanne Jones. To listen to or view the upcoming earnings presentation, please a…
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260217771924/en/Exe…

schedule

Claim 11: “In Arizona, Mayes is challenging a pair of 14% proposed increases”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 12: “Exelon — the Chicago-based parent of Commonwealth Edison, PECO, Baltimore Gas and Electric and several other utilities”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and other business sources confirm Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and owns Commonwealth Edison, PECO, and Baltimore Gas and Electric.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Exelon Corporation is an American public utility headquartered in Chicago, and incorporated in Pennsylvania.Electricity and natural gas distribution. Revenue. Increase US$23.03 billion (2024).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exelon

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web search NEUTRAL — Exelon, based in Chicago, owns Commonwealth Edison, Baltimore Gas & Electric and Pennsylvania’s PECO. It also owns Constellation Energy and the largest number of nuclear reactors in the country.
https://ibew.org/cautious-optimism-on-pepco-exelon-merger/

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web search NEUTRAL — In territories where Exelon owns gas distribution networks, the company continues pipe replacement, leak reduction, and integrity-management work. These programs support safety, compliance, and rate-b…
https://umbrex.com/resources/company-profiles/exelon/

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.