Focus on Energy Affordability: Part 2 | OAS Episode 268

This is the second part of a two-part podcast on energy affordability. In our previous episode, we talked with Representative Craig Williams of Pennsylvania and Janine Benner, director of the Oregon Department of Energy. For this episode, we’re joined by Katherine Jereza, an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Energy who directs the Office of Electricity, and Joseph Pereira, the director of Colorado's Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate. In the worlds of both politics and policy, energy affordability is a hot topic. The U.S. saw largely flat electricity demand from the late ’90s until just a couple of years ago. Increasing demand from both homes and businesses, electrification of cars and trucks, the growth of data centers and other factors have strained the nation's ability to meet demand. Rates have increased and legislators are increasingly concerned that consumers will face more and larger rate increases. Assistant Secretary Jereza discussed how energy affordability is affected by challenges in both generation and transmission of energy and how data centers offer promise to help run the grid more efficiently. She also discussed resources for states that are trying to keep down energy costs for their residents. Pereira explained how his office functions as a consumer advocate, how his agency approaches energy affordability, and the concerns he brings to the debate around data centers and how they can affect ratepayers. Resources Colorado Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate Factors Affecting Electricity Prices, U.S. Energy Information Administration NCSL 2025 State Legislative Energy Trends Report Office of Electricity, U.S. Department of Energy