Utility companies want to shift risks on struggling families

As electricity demand rises for the first time in decades, utility companies such as Exelon, PPL, and FirstEnergy are making what seems like a simple request to state policymakers: Let us build generation in the Mid-Atlantic region again.

What they don’t disclose is that utilities can already build generation in competitive markets. What they’re actually asking for is to impose the risks of their investments on families already struggling with electric bills.