Legislators who represent Minnesota Power's hometown of Duluth urged state regulators to reject a private equity proposal to buy the utility, saying the deal "poses significant risks to Minnesota Power ratepayers, employees, and the public at large" efiling.web.commerce.state.mn.us/documents/%7B8…

Even a supporter of BlackRock's bid to buy Minnesota Power said private equity ownership of a utility is "fairly novel" and "there's a lot of uncertainty ... about how this is going to work." A judge warned the firm's thirst for profits could raise bills. startribune.com/as-state-weigh…

Two years into its fight to force customers to pay more for executives' compensation, Xcel Energy continues to suggest only a small minority of its customers are opposed to doing so edockets.state.mn.us/documents/%7B2…

NEW: Data centers are driving up utility costs. As companies like Amazon and Meta pour billions into data centers across the country, it’s raising electricity bills. While they’re making record profits, the rest of us are forced to foot the bill.

The data in this report that show abysmal power outage response by DTE Energy and Consumers Energy are from the same year that both utilities paid executives bonuses for... power outage response mlive.com/environment/20…

Xcel Energy cut off power to 52,549 Minnesotans who fell behind on bills in 2024, far more than any other year in at least a decade. Meanwhile, the utility has pocketed over $1B in profits every year since 2015 and is seeking to raise rates yet again. startribune.com/xcel-is-cuttin…

🚨 Induction stove manufacturers, on the Board of AHAM, quietly removed claims of gas stove pollution from their sites, which contradict AHAM's recent lawsuit against CO's new gas stove labeling law. Great scoop by Sophie Hurwitz grist grist.org/accountability…

NEW: BlackRock is trying to buy Minnesota Power, which provides power to over 150,000 people. Why? They want to profit off of the soaring electricity demand from AI data centers. If they win, and if it's profitable, your power company could be next.

Marissa Gillett, possibly the best utility regulator in the country, resigned from the Connecticut PURA this morning. She was forced out by Connecticut’s investor-owned utilities, who finally won their years-long, scorching campaign to oust her. A thread here about Gillett:

Proponents of BlackRock's takeover of Minnesota Power like to note the state Dept of Commerce supports the deal. But AG Ellison's office and others say many of the provisions that got Commerce on board are either already required or provide no benefit efiling.web.commerce.state.mn.us/documents/%7BF…

I have a new piece up on how monopoly utilities engineered a campaign to oust America's best state regulator because they didn't like that she actually assessed the validity of their rate requests boondoggle.substack.com/p/monopoly-uti…

"BlackRock has a long history of investing in companies that trample tribal sovereignty. When profit is at stake, Indigenous rights are dismissed. That’s why Minnesotans should be deeply concerned about this proposed takeover of Minnesota Power." duluthnewstribune.com/opinion/column…

Private equity firms are looking to buy electric utilities for a simple reason: there’s money to be made, and likely quite a lot of it, on the backs of captive utility customers. The Minnesota PUC will decide this week whether to approve one such deal. apnews.com/article/big-te…

A fight has erupted in northern MN over the proposed private equity buyout of Duluth-based utility Minnesota Power. If approved, the sale could determine how private equity firms expand their utility holdings amid a rush to cash in on data centers. The Associated Press apnews.com/article/big-te…

The same BlackRock subsidiary that’s trying to buy Minnesota Power over the objections of consumer advocates is also trying to buy AES, which has electric utilities in Indiana and Ohio reuters.com/markets/deals/…

A group of state lawmakers is urging the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to deny BlackRock's controversial bid to take over Minnesota Power, saying among other things that "the risks and harms would outweigh the minimal, short-term benefits" efiling.web.commerce.state.mn.us/documents/%7B8…

The utility serving Indianapolis could be next to be swept up in BlackRock's spending spree on utilities, a prospect that has local ratepayer advocates "extremely concerned" ibj.com/articles/as-pr…

BREAKING: The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has voted to let BlackRock buy Allete, the company that runs Minnesota Power.