The following is a statement from Clara Summers, Director of the Consumers for A Better Grid Campaign, Citizens Utility Board (CUB) of Illinois. (A printable pdf of this statement.)
While there were some positive provisions consumer advocates fought for, today’s vote is yet another glaring example of how PJM’s stakeholder process shuts out the voice of the consumer and makes it nearly impossible to wrest power from corporate, moneyed interests. In the reform package they adopted, PJM Members–dominated by powerful energy companies–effectively blocked a greater role for the states. Companies beholden to shareholders should not be able to override states beholden to the public on decisions impacting electric affordability. Our elected officials should have the authority to act on behalf of the public at PJM–but this vote just reinforces a status quo that favors private companies whose business models depend on squeezing everyday electricity customers to yield record profits.
Throughout this process, we fought tooth and nail to advance measures that would ensure greater transparency and protections for consumers, winning key provisions in the final suite of reforms, including improved voting transparency, cost-benefit analysis for proposals, and sector-weighted voting at all levels of the stakeholder process.
However, other meaningful reforms were shot down, including creating a sixth sector for consumer advocates, establishing an Independent Transmission Monitor, and incorporating strong public interest language into PJM’s Operating Agreement.
The flawed governance reform package that passed today underscores the importance of our continued work advocating for the interests of consumers at PJM. We are committed to leveraging the reforms we were able to win to weaken headwinds against further progress—and we will keep pushing for the nation’s largest power grid operator to prioritize the interests of the 67 million customers that depend on their services throughout the region.
Background:
On July 23, 2026, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) convened a technical conference to explore options for reforming governance and stakeholder processes at the PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid operator. Beginning in September 2026, following the collection of post-conference comments, FERC facilitated an Alternative Dispute Resolution process among PJM stakeholders to agree on governance reforms. FERC warned that if PJM did not initiate reforms by the end of September, it would impose them from without.
Today, PJM Members voted on governance reform packages–one presented by PJM, one by a subset of PJM Members (the so-called “Member Package”), and one presented by consumer advocates. The PJM and consumer advocate packages were voted down; the so-called Member Package passed. The package will be sent to the PJM Board for their consideration.
PJM has faced growing pressure to reform its governance following surging electricity prices, growing demand from data centers, and challenges procuring sufficient generation resources. Confidence in PJM’s decision-making ability has been called into question by a variety of critics, including consumer and environmental advocates, a bipartisan group of Governors in the PJM territory, and the White House.
This statement was written as part of our Consumers for a Better Grid Campaign, dedicated to advocating for consumer interests at the largest power grid in the nation. Learn more and sign up for updates here.
