Report Shows Blue States Consistently Pay More for Energy

Electricity prices are significantly higher in Democratic-voting states than Republican-voting states. Isaac Orr, co-founder and vice president of research for Always On Energy Research, joins The States to break down a new joint report finding 86% of states with above-average electricity prices lean blue, while 80% of the ten lowest-price states lean red. Orr attributes the gap to renewable energy mandates, restrictions on natural gas infrastructure and pipeline construction, and carbon pricing policies layered together in states like California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. He notes several high-price blue states — including New York, Connecticut, Delaware, and Massachusetts — have recently begun walking back these mandates as affordability becomes a political issue. Idaho, Nebraska, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and North Dakota are cited among the lowest-price states, with Orr arguing they're positioned to attract data center and manufacturing investment as a result. They also discuss North Carolina as an exception — the only Republican-leaning state in the report with a 100% carbon-free mandate — and notes lawmakers there have already rolled back interim emissions targets after seeing cost impacts on Duke Energy customers. Read more at thecentersquare.com.