What my energy plan is all about

This week, I released an energy plan that outlines a path forward for American energy production. Let me explain myself.

I grew up poor. I know what it’s like to play ‘utility roulette’ – which bill will have to get skipped this month; what will we have to go without. In Arizona, thousands of families are still doing that, debating whether they can afford to turn on the A/C even when it’s 110 degrees outside. Across the country, 1 in 3 Americans can’t afford their electricity bills, and 1 in 4 low-income families spend more than 15% of their paycheck just keeping the lights on.

Energy is one of the most volatile costs many families face, and it’s only going to get worse if we don’t act. Energy costs are rising at twice the rate of inflation. A big part of that cost increase is due to an increase in demand.

Thanks to population growth, the AI boom and data centers, and record-breaking extreme weather, the U.S. is projected to see a 25% increase in electricity demand by 2030, and a 78% increase by 2050.

When demand increases and supply doesn’t keep up, prices soar.

We need real medium- and long-term plans to create a sustainable and affordable energy system in the United States.

That’s what my energy plan is about. It outlines out an all-of-the-above approach focused on affordability, reliability, innovation, and creating good-paying jobs. The plan is built around five pillars:

1. Emphasize affordability – My first priority will always be bringing down costs. One way to do this is to reinstate and expand the energy efficiency tax credits that put money back in people’s pockets. Tax credits like these were created by the Inflation Reduction Act, but Trump and Republicans gutted them in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” this summer. The federal government should help families lower their bills, while also investing in more in affordable, carbon-free sources of energy, such as solar and wind, and make gas more affordable with consistent supply chains. All of these things together will help families save on their long-term utility bills.

2. Invest in Emerging Technologies – We’re not going to get out of this crisis by doing more of the same. Innovative energy solutions like geothermal and nuclear are already here in certain forms, and both are getting more reliable, available, and affordable. Small Modular Reactors are one example of the kinds of innovations we should be backing. SMRs are built in factories, shipped in pieces, and put together on site. They’re safe, cheap, fast to build, and can make nuclear power available in more locations. Government should back these technologies that aren’t fully commercial just yet but have huge long-term potential. Not only will this strengthen our energy security now and for future generations, it will also keep us competitive in emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, and strategic competition with countries like China.

3. Prioritize Reliability – As demand for energy increases, Blackouts could increase by 100%. These blackouts pose significant health and safety risks to individuals across the U.S., especially when extreme heat kicks temperatures up to 115 ° in Arizona. That’s why energy reliability must become a national priority. By pairing large-scale battery storage with the transition to renewable energy and strengthening our defenses against cyberattacks and extreme weather that can take out our energy infrastructure, we can stabilize our energy grid and protect the well-being of millions of Americans.

4. Leave Nobody Behind – We must ensure that workers have equal or better quality pay, benefits, and protections in new industries as they do in legacy energy industries. As our major power sources shift, we can’t abandon the workers and communities that built the old system. That means ensuring all incentives for new energy industries contain standards for high wages, the use of quality apprenticeship programs, and protections for workers during union drives for both construction and manufacturing workers. We should also incentivize companies to retain workers as they look for new roles and invest in joint-labor management training programs and other training programs to help workers transition from coal, oil, and gas to good-paying, union jobs that don’t require a college degree. Not only is there strong potential for job transferability to clean energy, but a lot of the existing energy infrastructure could be reused as well. For example, nuclear plants could save on construction costs by repurposing retired coal power plants, and farmers and ranchers could earn passive income by leasing their land for wind and solar projects. The path forward for America’s energy needs to include a path for our workers and communities.

5. Get Power Where It Needs to Go – As energy demand grows, our transmission system – the network of power lines and towers that moves large amounts of electricity from power plants to substations near your community – has to grow with it. The U.S. needs to at least double our national transmission system by 2050 to maintain reliability and keep costs low. Right now, projects wanting to get on the grid are stuck in massive backlogs, which makes development even more challenging. Additionally, interstate and inter-regional transmission siting and permitting require the participation of state, local, federal, tribal, and private entities, slowing down the process even more. If we can maximize the efficiency of existing transmission lines and reform permitting to be faster for certain projects, we can make it easier to get power from where it’s generated to where people actually live and work.

Many of the ideas included in my plan have been supported by energy leaders, scientific experts, and facets of the energy industry in the past. What is missing is not the science to prove that these are good ideas, but rather the political will to see them through.

The United States can have an energy system that is safe, clean, and affordable for working families. Anyone who says you have to choose just one is selling America short.

If our federal government doesn’t rise to this moment, we’ll miss out on good-paying jobs and innovations that will simply go elsewhere. Whether you care most about the AI race, competing with China, protecting the environment, or just lowering your utility bills, we all have a shared interest when it comes to energy.

So, let’s get to work. Together we can build a cleaner, safer, and literally brighter future.