Lucy Vernasco

Clean energy PR, amateur gardener | Formerly: @ENERGY Loan Programs Office, @pivotalventures, @RonWyden, @SenateFinance, @JECDems & @MedillSchool

[CBS Mornings @CBSMornings]

Utility companies to spend $1.4 trillion over the next 5 years amid data center boom https://t.co/BI14WIJktL

[Tom Steyer @TomSteyer]

Your utility bill is rising because we stopped building.

Utilities have already requested $29 billion in rate increases for just the first half of this year, hitting 40 million Americans.

For decades, regulated utilities collected maintenance fees while deferring real infrastructure investment. Now they're scrambling to rebuild aging systems while demand from AI, data centers, and electrification surges.

When you don't build ahead, scarcity pricing kicks in and consumers pay the premium.

This goes beyond utility bills. It's about building the backbone of a modern economy. Taiwan is investing $30 billion in grid upgrades to protect its semiconductor leadership. Europe launched REPowerEU to take control of its energy future. Other countries are building, while we are debating permits.

If we want to lead, we need to treat the grid as core economic infrastructure, not just a utility. That means building more clean generation, more transmission, more storage, and doing it faster and smarter.

Build like our economic future depends on it, because it does.

[PowerLines @powerlinesorg]

64% of Americans whose household pays a monthly electric and gas utility bill say those bills have increased compared to a year ago.

63% of billpayers indicate that their electric and gas utility bills are adding to their financial stress.
@powerlinesorg / @Ipsos poll

[PowerLines @powerlinesorg]

As policymakers at both state & federal levels confront the challenges of rising utility bills and lessening the burden on households and families, PowerLines seeks to ensure consumer perspectives are represented in the utility regulatory system. https://t.co/Rtl3Yc3m3J

[PowerLines @powerlinesorg]

A companion report from PowerLines titled Utility Bills Are Rising released today details the growing cost of rising utility bills and includes analysis of proposed utility bill increases across the country. https://t.co/yuSpkZYR2z

[PowerLines @powerlinesorg]

Today, PowerLines is releasing the results of our national poll with @Ipsos revealing 3 in 4 Americans are concerned about utility bills rising in 2025 & 4 in 5 Americans saying they feel powerless over how much they are charged for utilities. https://t.co/59wwd2INNa

[Change Research @ChangePolls]

🧵 (1/2) Is the narrative of young men turning conservative the full story? Change Research shows young men today are actually more left-leaning than previous generations.

[Sen. Lisa Murkowski @lisamurkowski]

I’m pleased that our open primary and ranked choice voting system have been retained, ensuring that Alaskans will continue to have a broader opportunity for choice in the electoral process.

https://t.co/7rI7wfQPAL

[National Association of Energy Service Companies @NaescoNews]

The City and County of Denver teamed up with McKinstry on a Renewable Denver Community Solar Program. With 16 solar gardens (9.6M kWh/yr), this effort reduces emissions and lowers utility bills for families. #escoweek https://t.co/o1hIiXtaAH

[Unite America @uniteamerica]

Washington, D.C. voters pass Ballot Initiative 83! Beginning in 2026, independent voters in DC will have the right to participate in the party primary of their choosing. Ranked choice voting will also be implemented in primaries, general elections, and special elections to ensure a majority winner. These reforms will give D.C. voters more choice and more voice! #Initiative83
https://t.co/xllGXaHjyZ

[National Association of Energy Service Companies @NaescoNews]

Greenbrier County Schools (WV) + #EnergySavingsPerformanceContract = $550,000 per year annual savings (over 15 yrs)
CMTA delivered a facility modernization project to create sustainable, energy-efficient spaces for students and faculty. https://t.co/lEOSdr1Bl4

[Unite America @uniteamerica]

“Half a dozen states are putting election reform in voters’ hands. It’s a sliver of hope that an era of political extremism might finally start to fade.” Bloomberg’s Editorial Board endorsement of #electionreform in this #Election2024.
https://t.co/stZ35xj5qj

[Unite America @uniteamerica]

Today on #ElectionDay, 29 million voters across nine states have the opportunity to cast ballots in support of nonpartisan election reforms – including seven initiatives to open primaries, an initiative to adopt ranked choice voting in Oregon, and an initiative to end partisan gerrymandering in Ohio.

Nearly 1.5 million voters signed petitions to qualify these initiatives for the ballot.
https://t.co/tu9uAsim1t

[Stefan Smith @TheStefanSmith]

me to every stranger for the next 36 hours

[jackantonoff @jackantonoff]

i loved voting for kamala today

[Unite America @uniteamerica]

Only 4% of Arizona voters elected 78% of its U.S. House seats during the state’s primaries earlier this year.

How this is possible:
Just two out of nine districts in the state are considered competitive – and Independent/unaffiliated voters and candidates face unfair participation barriers.
https://t.co/Wt7BrImAQG

[Unite America @uniteamerica]

“But if voters embrace this change on Nov. 5, it will be a victory for more sanity in campaigns and government, no matter who wins the presidency. Here’s hoping.” @opinion

Read Bloomberg’s Editorial Board endorsement of open primaries and election reform.

#Election2024
https://t.co/n3qm6Qrz6t

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Thank you @KingJames for using your voice to make clear what’s at stake.

Listen to LeBron, make sure you vote.

[Unite America @uniteamerica]

In 2024, 6% of eligible voters in Colorado elected 88% of the state’s U.S. House delegation. Open, all-candidate primaries give every voter the freedom to cast a ballot for any candidate, regardless of party, in every taxpayer-funded election. Thank you Sen. Hickenlooper for supporting #Prop131 and election reform. #COpolitics #Election2024

[John Hickenlooper @Hickenlooper]

Open primaries and ranked-choice voting encourages voter participation, and encourages more people to run for public office. A more open system that better reflects public opinion (ranked choice) could also discourage the insanity of nonstop attack ads.

I'm a ‘Yes’ on Prop 131!