In the News
Explore where the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition has been featured in the news, media, and industry reports.
In the News
Explore where the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition has been featured in the news, media, and industry reports.
July 9, 2026
Fifty-six state legislators…have submitted letters to urge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reject a complaint filed by incumbent utilities seeking a five-year moratorium on transmission competition in the MISO and SPP regions.
Big Tech Data Centers Are Driving up Power Bills at America's Rust Belt Factories
July 7, 2026
Manufacturers are classified in the same electricity-rate class with data centers, and they are being caught up in state and federal proposals aimed at shielding homes and small businesses from the price spikes tied to data centers.
Ameren’s grid remains stable amid heatwave, customers may still feel impact of increased demand
July 6, 2026
Paul Cicio, chairman of the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition, a national energy consumer protections group, said he didn’t believe Missouri would struggle with blackouts like Texas and other states have during heatwaves.
June 26, 2026
For generations, competition has fueled American progress. It drives down costs, increases innovation, rewards efficiency and helps ensure consumers receive the best value for their hard-earned dollars.
Bill Marsan: Wisconsin’s transmission debate needs facts, not false choices
June 26, 2026
A recent press release from the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition has reignited a familiar debate in Wisconsin over whether competition in transmission development is being threatened.
Wisconsin Legislators Oppose Utilities’ Push for No-Bid Power Line Projects
June 3, 2026
“[W]hen our country must begin building the infrastructure that will decide which nation wins the AI race,” the utilities wrote.Ratepayer advocacy groups immediately pushed back. Paul Cicio, chair of the nationwide Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition, called the request “tone deaf.”
May 26, 2026
Utilities want federal regulators to allow them to build transmission lines without having to bid on the work for the next five years. Critics say it’s not the time to “promote monopolistic policies.”
State Lawmakers Urge Against Pausing Transmission Competition
May 26, 2026
More than 40 state legislators from Iowa, Kansas, and Montana urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reject utilities’ proposed five-year moratorium on transmission competition in two major regions.
Power Grab: Utilities Seek to Limit Transmission Competition
May 12, 2026
Paul Cicio, Chair of the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition (ETCC), stated that the complaint disregards the electricity affordability crisis facing Americans. Suspending competition in MISO and SPP could expose consumers to billions in unchecked cost increases over several years, leading to higher utility bills.
May 11, 2026
Instead of MISO and SPP utilizing its existing cost-reducing competitive processes, the utilities are asking FERC to grant them a monopoly for billions of dollars of future transmission needed for data center load growth.
Utilities ask FERC to prohibit electricity transmission competition in Missouri to increase electricity prices and protect their profits
May 11, 2026
“The complaint is tone deaf to the electricity affordability crisis facing Americans. Suspending competition in MISO and SPP would expose consumers in these regions to billions in unchecked cost escalation for years, guaranteeing higher utility bills,” said Paul Cicio, Chair of the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition (ETCC).
Utilities Asks FERC to Prohibit Electricity Transmission Competition in Wisconsin to Increase Electricity Prices and Protect Their Profits
May 8, 2026
After their lobbyists could not convince the state legislature to enrich their CEO and shareholders with a state law to override federal competitive bidding requirements, a band of electricity utilities throughout the Midwest filed a complaint recently at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Washington, DC to achieve the same outcome
May 8, 2026
“The complaint is tone deaf to the electricity affordability crisis facing Americans. Suspending competition in MISO and SPP would expose consumers in these regions to billions in unchecked cost escalation for years, guaranteeing higher utility bills,” said Paul Cicio, Chair of the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition (ETCC).
FERC order avoids $4.9B in costs across 19 transmission projects
April 30, 2026
According to publicly available RTO/ISO data compiled by the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition, 19 recently completed transmission projects have reduced project costs by an average of 38% through competitive bidding. The projects, which were bid from 2021 to 2025, avoided costs totaling $4.9 billion. They range in size from a 115 kV line in Xcel territory to Transource’s 765 kV IL/WI state line endeavor and span three different regions: MISO (8), SPP (6), and CAISO (5).
Transmission competition challenge faces FERC
April 27, 2026
The proposal is generating substantial opposition from industrial and manufacturing electricity users, consumer groups and advocates, retailers, and public power systems, organized as the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition. It claims “more than 93 organizations from all 50 states.” They charge that the aim of the utilities is to boost profits at the expense of consumers, restoring monopoly power that FERC overturned.
April 14, 2026
“The complaint is tone deaf to the electricity affordability crisis facing Americans,” said
Paul Cicio, chair of the national interest group Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition, in a statement. “Suspending competition for five years in MISO and SPP would expose consumers in these regions to unchecked
cost escalation for years, guaranteeing
higher utility bills.”
Utilities seek federal pause on grid bidding amid AI-driven power demand
April 10, 2026
“Competitive transmission projects have been shown to have a better track record of adhering to cost containment and completion schedules than noncompetitive projects,” said Paul Cicio, chair of the national Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition. “A moratorium would move us backward at precisely the wrong time.”
Entergy, Xcel, others seek to upend competitive transmission bidding in MISO, SPP
April 9, 2026
“Without competition, a monopoly incumbent utility has zero incentive to reduce costs because the more they spend the more their profits increase,” the group said in a press release filed at FERC on Wednesday. “Transmission competition in MISO and SPP has historically enhanced cost, schedule discipline and accountability, while non-competitive projects have not.”
April 8, 2026
A complaint from electric utilities demanding that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission override how regional grid operators choose new transmission projects underscores the growing pressure on the agency for changes amid the rise of electricity-hungry data centers and artificial intelligence.
TOs Ask FERC to Suspend Competitive Bidding in MISO and SPP
April 7, 2026
A pro-competition group, the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition (ETCC), opposes the complaint, calling it “tone deaf” to concerns over ratepayer affordability.
“Without competition, a monopoly incumbent utility has zero incentive to reduce costs because the more they spend, the more their profits increase,” ETCC wrote.
Utilities ask FERC to halt transmission competition across Midwest, Plains
April 8, 2026
The Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition — which includes dozens of large energy users, consumer advocates and independent developers — said the utilities’ request could further increase rising electricity prices.
“This is a desperate attempt to subvert competition in the name of speed to power,” said Paul Cicio, the group’s executive director.
Wisconsin Coalition Memo: Rejection of Transmission Monopoly (ROFR) Legislation Likely Saves Wisconsin Consumers Millions
January 11, 2023
Electricity rates are on the rise in Wisconsin. Thankfully, last session the Legislature rejected the proposed Right of First Refusal (“ROFR”) legislation. Doing so helped control the rise of energy costs for your constituents in future years.
Energy policy abandons electricity consumers and increases inflation
May 15, 2022
Electric ratepayers will face even higher electricity costs and inflation due to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) proposed action on electricity transmission planning.
Earth week should celebrate competitive markets as the unsung climate hero
April 19, 2022
Competitive markets are the unsung hero of the clean transition. The cost of capital has become a function of environmental concerns. Environmental investing grew 42 percent from 2018 to 2020 and now constitutes one-third of all domestic assets under management at over $17 trillion.
Utilities ask FERC to halt transmission competition across Midwest, Plains
April 8, 2026
The Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition — which includes dozens of large energy users, consumer advocates and independent developers — said the utilities’ request could further increase rising electricity prices.
“This is a desperate attempt to subvert competition in the name of speed to power,” said Paul Cicio, the group’s executive director.
TOs Ask FERC to Suspend Competitive Bidding in MISO and SPP
April 7, 2026
A pro-competition group, the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition (ETCC), opposes the complaint, calling it “tone deaf” to concerns over ratepayer affordability.
“Without competition, a monopoly incumbent utility has zero incentive to reduce costs because the more they spend, the more their profits increase,” ETCC wrote.
Stakeholder Soapbox: Three FERC Fixes to Enable Transmission Competition
April 10, 2022
Correcting the flaws within our transmission policy lies within the power of federal regulators — specifically, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).