The California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA) on Jan. 15 announced the launch of “Public Power. Public Water. Public Good.” -- a new campaign to educate legislators, regulators, journalists, and the general public about the value and public benefits of community-owned, not-for-profit power and water utilities in California.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul will tap the New York Department of Public Service to launch a new initiative, Energize NY Development, with the goal of modernizing how large energy users connect to the grid, making it faster and more predictable, but also with strict conditions to protect ratepayers.

The PJM Interconnection Board of Managers on Jan. 16 outlined a series of actions to be taken by PJM and its stakeholders in 2026 to address the multiple challenges of integrating new data centers and other large load customers onto the grid “while preserving electricity system reliability and affordability for the 67 million people PJM serves,” the grid operator said.

Hydro-Québec on Jan. 16 started delivering electricity through the Appalaches–Maine interconnection line under the terms of the 2018 contract with Massachusetts electricity distribution companies.

Snohomish County PUD’s water utility is celebrating 80 years of service. The water utility “has been hard at work for eight decades now, striving to bring its customers one of Earth’s most precious resources,” the Washington State PUD noted.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, vice-chair and chair of the National Energy Dominance Council respectively, on Jan. 16 joined Mid-Atlantic governors urging the PJM Interconnection “to temporarily overhaul its market rules to strengthen grid reliability and reduce electricity costs for American families and businesses by building more than $15 billion of reliable baseload power generation,” the Department of Energy said.