Energy and Climate: Lower Bills, Reliable Power, a Safer Future

A TIP policy tab. Last updated October 5, 2026. Dollar amounts, ratios and dates are marked TBA until they are scored.

Still in draft. This plank is a working proposal, not final policy. Every dollar amount, cap and target date is TBA. TIP has not yet scored the cost, and the legal wording (emergency power orders, permit protection, the Clean Air Act authority and any treaty step) still needs legal review. Energy facts change monthly; rules and court cases noted here will be updated before this plank is final.

The short version

Power bills are rising, the grid is straining, and energy has become a fight about slogans. TIP's approach is a tour operator's: get people where they are going, on time and on budget. That means a limit on what a household pays for energy relative to its income, data centers that pay for the power they use so homes do not, a faster grid that can connect any safe source of power, steady rules for clean energy so builders can plan, safe nuclear kept running, a plan for heat, floods and fire, and workers in energy communities first in line for the new jobs. It starts with Puerto Rico, where a grid that works is the first job of the AOC Climate and Tourism Corps.

What is happening now

Electricity costs more. EIA's September 2026 outlook forecasts the average residential price at about 18.2 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2026, up about 5% from 2025 (EIA STEO via summary; the next outlook is due October 6). Demand is also rising: EIA projects U.S. sales of 4,135 billion kilowatt-hours in 2026 and 4,211 billion in 2027.
Data centers are a large new load. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's 2025 update (June 2026) projects data centers could use 11.8% of U.S. electricity by 2030, with a range of 9.5% to 15.3%. PJM, the grid operator for 13 states and D.C., held its 2028-29 capacity auction on July 15, 2026. It cleared at the $325 per megawatt-day cap, cost $16.4 billion and fell 6.8 gigawatts short of the reserve target. PJM's chief operating officer tied a roughly 2 gigawatt rise in forecast demand largely to data centers (Utility Dive).
The regulator is still deciding who pays. On June 18, 2026 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chose show-cause orders to all six grid operators on large-load interconnection instead of a rulemaking. There is no final rule (Morgan Lewis).
Solar and storage lead new construction. EIA's April 2026 survey of planned 2026 additions shows 86 gigawatts: solar 43.4, storage 24, wind 11.8, gas and other about 7.6 (pv magazine). In EIA's September outlook the 2026 generation mix is gas 40%, nuclear 18%, coal 16%, wind 11%, solar 8% and hydro 6%.
Clean-energy credits were cut. The July 2025 budget law ends wind and solar credits for projects that do not begin construction by July 4, 2026 or enter service by December 31, 2027. Storage, geothermal and hydro credits phase down from 2034 to zero in 2036. Residential efficiency and solar credits ended after 2025. Carbon-capture credits remain for projects started before 2033 (Kirkland & Ellis). Check the electric-vehicle cutoff against the IRS.
Offshore wind: courts overruled the stop-work orders. Federal stop-work orders on East Coast offshore wind projects in December 2025 were enjoined by courts between January and February 2026, and work resumed. A judge called the Revolution Wind order "arbitrary and capricious" (January 12, 2026). Interior also struck lease buyouts worth over $2.7 billion, and states are suing over them (Harvard EELP tracker, September 2026; Electrek).
The federal government withdrew from climate rules. EPA's rescission of the 2009 greenhouse-gas endangerment finding was published February 18, 2026 and took effect April 20, 2026; challenges are pending in the D.C. Circuit (Nos. 26-1037 and 26-1061). A final rule published September 17, 2026 repeals the 2024 carbon standards for existing power plants, effective November 16, 2026, and EPA estimates $160 billion to $280 billion in savings through 2047. The U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement took effect January 27, 2026.
Old plants kept open by order. On September 11, 2026 the D.C. Circuit unanimously vacated the Energy Department's emergency order keeping the J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan open. It held that the emergency power is a "narrow" backstop and that repeated 90-day renewals (450 days) were improper. Through June 30, 2026 the plant's net cost was $259 million after $239 million in market revenue, according to Consumers Energy's filing. Seven plants are under such orders (Willkie; Utility Dive).
Nuclear is coming back, slowly. Palisades in Michigan has NRC approval to restart; fuel loading began August 30, 2026 and was paused September 25 after a fuel assembly tilted (ANS). Crane (Three Mile Island Unit 1) expects its license around May 2027. A $1.9 billion DOE loan for Duane Arnold in Iowa was announced September 8, 2026. The NRC issued TerraPower's Natrium construction permit on March 4, 2026.
Emissions rose in 2025. U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions rose 2.4% in 2025, ending two years of decline, and remain 18% below 2005. Power-sector emissions rose 3.8% and coal generation 13% (Rhodium Group, January 13, 2026).
Heat, storms and fire. NOAA ended its billion-dollar disaster database in May 2025 and Climate Central took it over. In the first half of 2025 it counted 14 events costing $101.4 billion, with the Los Angeles wildfires above $60 billion. An NPR and Boston University study puts heat deaths at about 9,000 a year, far above the official count. The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season had produced no hurricane as of October 2 (NOAA via Climate Central; NPR; WUFT).
Help with bills survives, barely. Congress funded the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) at $4.05 billion for fiscal 2026 and the Weatherization Assistance Program at $329 million. The administration proposed eliminating LIHEAP in its fiscal 2027 budget, and House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole opposes that (Utility Dive; American Public Power Association).
Puerto Rico's grid. A June 2026 GAO report (GAO-26-107772) found FEMA obligated about $11.1 billion for grid recovery but had disbursed only $2.7 billion, about 25%. Generation runs about 46% below installed capacity. A near-total blackout in April 2025 lasted almost two days. Only about 400 of 16,000 planned miles of vegetation clearing were done as of February 2026. The Energy Bureau approved $1.78 billion in base-rate revenue in April 2026 against $3.14 billion requested, and the power authority remains in bankruptcy. Puerto Rico sued LUMA in December 2025 to cancel its contract (Utility Dive; Washington Times).
The Climate Corps bill. H.R. 10585, the Civilian Climate Corps for Jobs and Justice Act, was introduced September 24, 2026 by Rep. Ocasio-Cortez with 35 original cosponsors. Its projects include weatherization, building retrofits, electrification, net-zero construction and clean-energy installation. Members earn at least $20 an hour and up to $25,000 in education awards. The bill says nothing about Puerto Rico or tourism (bill text; Markey release).
Opinion has split. Pew (March 2026, n=3,524) found 57% prioritize renewables, down from 79% in 2020. Among Republicans it is 28%, down from 65%. 65% still say government should encourage wind and solar, down from 72% in 2022. The survey ran during the Iran conflict and rising energy costs.

What the evidence says

Demand growth is a main driver. EIA and LBNL both project fast load growth from data centers. Researchers disagree on how much it raises household prices: one academic column finds higher prices in some markets and almost none where nonprofit utilities serve customers; an industry-leaning institute says state-level data do not support the link. (Contested.)
Solar and storage are the fastest to build. They are 78% of EIA's planned 2026 additions (67.4 of 86 gigawatts). Gas is under 10% of planned additions. (Moderate; planned, not built.)
Cutting credits raises uncertainty. The new deadlines can strand projects. IRS Notice 2025-42 narrowed the "begin construction" test, and projects that started before July 5, 2026 get a four-year continuity safe harbor. (Law-firm summaries; check Treasury text.)
Emergency coal orders carry a cost. One plant's net cost was $259 million in about a year, after market revenue, and a unanimous court held the order exceeded the statute. (One plant; court holding.)
Nuclear takes years. Palisades targeted March 2027 and began fuel loading in August 2026; Crane's license is expected May 2027. No reliable cost-per-kilowatt or construction-time comparison was available. (Limited; cost data missing.)
Energy help reaches people. LIHEAP and weatherization are funded but are annual decisions. No verified national data on savings from home electrification was available. (Limited.)
Climate impacts are rising. Heat deaths are likely far higher than official counts, and 2025 had a record-scale wildfire loss. (Moderate; one study and one count.)

How the pieces fit together

Bills first, ideology second. TIP's test for every energy decision is the bill a family pays, whether the lights stay on and what the air and weather do to people. It does not pick a favorite fuel.
Whoever causes a cost pays it. A big new user pays for the power it needs. A plant kept open by order has its cost shown. A rule that helps the climate is judged on what it costs a household.
The Corps delivers it. The AOC Climate and Tourism Corps does the retrofits, weatherization and installs. TIP builds on H.R. 10585's project list. This plank does not count the Corps' funding twice; it is in the Who Pays plank.
Links to other planks. Data centers and AI are also in the AI Regulation plank, which points here for the rules. Puerto Rico statehood is its own plank. Energy bills reach the 2KUSA dividend only through the automation tax, counted once in the 2KUSA plank.

The plan: stops on the itinerary

Every amount, ratio and date below is TBA unless noted, as with the other planks. Each stop names the fixed destination and the flexible route.

Stop 1: No household drowns in its power bill

The destination. No household pays more than a set share of its income for home energy (TBA, based on the energy-burden measure). Shutoffs are barred in extreme heat and cold.
The route (flexible). Make LIHEAP permanent mandatory funding, not a yearly decision. Fund weatherization to cut the bill, not just pay it. The federal share and the cap are TBA.
Who pays. Federal funds. LIHEAP is $4.05 billion and weatherization $329 million in fiscal 2026, as reference points, not a score.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 2: Data centers pay their own way

The destination. The companies that build large data centers pay the full cost of the power, grid upgrades and water they cause, and bring their own new supply when they can. Homes do not subsidize them. Every deal is public. Communities consent to the siting.
The route (flexible). Large-load tariffs set by state regulators and FERC, with a federal floor. A new customer pays for new capacity. Disclosure of power and water use. Water and power limits are TBA. This is the Data Center Accountability stop on the Itinerary.
Who pays. The data centers pay. The automation tax (2KUSA plank) is separate and not counted here.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 3: A faster grid for every kind of safe power

The destination. Any safe, affordable power source can connect to the grid on a fixed timeline. Transmission gets built.
The route (flexible). Interconnection deadlines with penalties for delay. Permit reform that keeps public comment and review but sets a clock. Regional transmission planning. Storage counted as grid infrastructure. Details TBA.
Who pays. Ratepayers and developers pay through rates. Federal permitting staff; cost TBA.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 4: Keep safe nuclear running and finish what has started

The destination. Existing reactors that can run safely stay open. Restarts and new reactors proceed on a fixed review clock, with the NRC's safety review kept independent.
The route (flexible). Support restarts such as Palisades and Crane, and demonstration reactors. Loans are tied to real milestones. Cost overruns are not passed to ratepayers without review. No rollback of safety standards.
Who pays. Developers and utilities, with DOE loans as a tool. The loan risk to taxpayers is TBA.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 5: Emergency powers are for emergencies

The destination. The Energy Department may order a plant to stay open only for a real, short emergency, with the cost and the reason shown in public.
The route (flexible). Follow the September 11, 2026 D.C. Circuit decision. Congress adds a hard limit on renewals and a public cost report to Section 202(c).
Who pays. No new cost. It stops one.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 6: Steady rules for clean power

The destination. A stable, technology-neutral credit for any power that cuts emissions, with predictable timelines. Permits, once granted, are not canceled without legal cause.
The route (flexible). Restore predictable deadlines for wind, solar and storage credits, or replace them with one emissions-based credit. Write permit protection into law so projects do not die by stop-work order. Cost TBA.
Who pays. A tax credit or appropriation, paid from the Common Needs Fund (see Who Pays). Cost TBA.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 7: Keep the climate science on the books

The destination. Federal law recognizes that greenhouse gases are a risk to health and gives EPA authority to limit them. The United States reports its emissions honestly and rejoins the Paris Agreement.
The route (flexible). Congress writes the EPA authority into the Clean Air Act. The President can rejoin Paris by notice; the legal steps need review. The pending endangerment-finding cases decide the near term.
Who pays. No cost. Compliance costs vary and are TBA.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 8: Be ready for heat, flood and fire; energy workers first

The destination. Every community has a plan for heat, flood and fire, with cooling centers and retrofits. Workers in coal, oil and gas communities get first call on Corps jobs and training, with credit for experience.
The route (flexible). The AOC Climate and Tourism Corps carries out weatherization, retrofits, cooling and clean-energy installs, using H.R. 10585 as the model. Heat-safety rules are TBA. This plank does not endorse any bill's wording.
Who pays. The Corps' funding, in the Who Pays plank. FEMA and state funds as already appropriated. Cost TBA.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 9: Puerto Rico first: a grid that works

The destination. Puerto Rico has a reliable, modern grid with solar and batteries on public buildings and homes, so the Corps' headquarters island is not the weakest link.
The route (flexible). Move the money Congress already approved: about $8.4 billion obligated but not disbursed (TIP's arithmetic: $11.1 billion minus $2.7 billion in GAO's report). Finish the vegetation clearing. Settle the LUMA dispute in the public's interest. Back distributed solar and storage. This is part of Operation 51st Star.
Who pays. FEMA funds already obligated, then federal and Puerto Rico funds. Cost TBA.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 10: Show every energy subsidy

The destination. One public annual report lists every federal energy subsidy, tax break and loan, for every fuel.
The route (flexible). Treasury, DOE and the CBO publish it together. TIP can then judge each on cost and results. TIP has not verified a U.S. total for fossil-fuel subsidies and uses none.
Who pays. Low cost.
Target date. TBA.

Hard questions

"Do renewables make power more expensive?" People disagree, and the data are mixed. Prices are rising mainly as demand grows and as grids add spending, according to EIA coverage, and researchers disagree about the role of data centers. TIP's test is the household bill, and it supports whatever source is cheapest and safe to connect.
"Why support both nuclear and solar?" Because the demand is large and growing and the grid needs both steady and fast-to-build power. TIP does not pick a winner. It removes the delays that keep any of them from connecting.
"Isn't this just more government spending?" Some of it is, and every cost is TBA until scored. Two parts cost the public nothing: data centers paying their own way, and a hard stop on emergency orders. The Who Pays plank counts the rest once.
"What about people who lose coal and gas jobs?" They go first for Corps jobs and training, with credit for experience, as with the plank for returning service members.
"Does TIP deny climate change?" No. The plank keeps the science in the law. It also admits a political fact: Pew finds Republican support for renewables fell from 65% to 28% between 2020 and 2026. TIP leads with bills and reliability so more people can agree.
"Why Puerto Rico?" The Corps is headquartered there, a grid that fails every year is a risk to it, and the federal money is already approved but not spent, per GAO.

Still to be set (TBA)

The income cap on energy bills. The data-center tariff rules and water and power limits. Interconnection deadlines. The credit design and its cost. The Corps' energy budget. The Puerto Rico schedule. TIP will publish the scoring when it exists.

Sources

EIA: Short-Term Energy Outlook, September 2026 (eia.gov); EIA: Today in Energy on data-center load, February 2026; EUCI summary of EIA retail prices
LBNL: United States Data Center Energy Usage Report, 2025 update (eta.lbl.gov)
Utility Dive: PJM capacity auction, price cap and reserve shortfall (utilitydive.com); Morgan Lewis: FERC presses grid operators on data center large-load interconnection, July 2026
pv magazine: Solar and storage to lead 86 GW capacity surge in 2026, April 28, 2026 (pv-magazine-usa.com)
Kirkland & Ellis: One Big Beautiful Bill Act and green energy tax credits, August 2025 (kirkland.com); Creative Planning on IRS Notice 2025-42
Harvard EELP: Federal offshore wind deployment tracker, September 2026 (eelp.law.harvard.edu); Electrek, April 10, 2026
Federal Register: Rescission of the greenhouse gas endangerment finding, February 18, 2026 (91 FR 7686); Partial repeal of carbon pollution standards, September 17, 2026 (91 FR 58954); Jones Day on the D.C. Circuit challenges, June 2026
Willkie: D.C. Circuit limits DOE's Section 202(c) emergency authority, September 2026 (willkie.com); Utility Dive on the Campbell ruling
ANS: Palisades fuel loading pause, September 25, 2026 (ans.org); WESA: Three Mile Island restart progress, July 30, 2026; KCRG: Duane Arnold loan, September 8, 2026; NRC: TerraPower construction permit
Rhodium Group: U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2025, January 13, 2026 (rhg.com)
Climate Central: Billion-dollar disasters, October 2025 (climatecentral.org); NPR: Heat wave death toll tracker, August 31, 2026; WUFT: Atlantic hurricane pause, October 2, 2026
Utility Dive: Federal energy assistance programs survive budget gauntlet (LIHEAP, weatherization); American Public Power Association: Remaining FY2026 LIHEAP funds disbursed
GAO-26-107772: Puerto Rico electric grid (gao.gov), June 2026; Utility Dive: Puerto Rico's electric system transformation; Washington Times: Puerto Rico sues LUMA, December 12, 2025
H.R. 10585 bill text (govinfo.gov); Sen. Markey press release on the Civilian Climate Corps for Jobs and Justice Act
Pew Research Center: Americans' shifting views on energy issues, April 3, 2026 (pewresearch.org)
CEPR: How data centres affect electricity prices (cepr.org); Institute for Energy Research: Have data centers driven up electricity prices (instituteforenergyresearch.org)