Energy secretary says he worries most about high electricity bills

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Tuesday that rising electricity prices are what he “worries about most” as Americans face high power bills.

“It’s what I worry about most — seven days a week. We want to stop the rise in electricity for Americans and reshore jobs and opportunity here,” Wright said in an interview on the Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria.”

He said he believes the U.S. can both “lead China in the race to lead AI, which is critical, and we can also stop the rise in electricity prices.”

A recent consumer price index report found electricity prices were growing at more than double the rate of inflation. One reason for the increase in prices is power-hungry data centers, which the Trump administration has embraced.

But increases in prices may not necessarily be linked to Trump administration policies. 

“Residential retail electricity prices are set with basically a lag,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Christopher Knittel recently told The Hill. “Trump’s effects on the rate changes won’t take place until after the midterms.”

However, the administration’s support for data centers as well as its moves to stifle renewable energy may also exacerbate the issue, which could pose a political problem for Republicans.

—Updated Sept. 3 at 9:50 a.m. EDT