05/27/2026
On a new episode of The Deciders podcast, EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney joined Brody Mullins and Lisa Camooso Miller to break down real, actionable solutions—starting with federal permitting reform. As Maloney notes, if Washington wants to tackle electricity costs, fixing the broken system that delays critical infrastructure is a vital first step:
"I think the challenge right now is that we’re in this affordability debate where people are struggling—whether it’s groceries, food, health care, or energy prices... It takes up to a decade or longer to build transmission lines or generation facilities because of the permitting process… The cost of that delay can be up to 25 percent of a project. So if Congress wants to do something about affordability with electricity prices, this is a great first step."
Beyond policy fixes, Maloney dispels a common myth by explaining how large-load growth from data centers acts as an economic solution that puts downward pressure on rates for everyday customers:
"Data centers can actually put downward pressure on rates. There have been 23 states with large-load agreements… You've had rate freezes in Alabama and Georgia and cost reductions in Louisiana, Indiana, and Michigan. We have to talk about the benefits to customers and dispel the myths that electricity rates are going up because of data centers—because they're not."
💡 Watch the clip below to see how large energy users help lower costs for everyone, and read the full interview details on : https://bit.ly/4dvLMD6
