BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio — Ohio State Senator Brian Chavez told Belmont County Commissioners at their most recent meeting that lawmakers from five states are organizing a regional coalition aimed at influencing PJM Interconnection, the operator of the electric grid serving much of the eastern United States.
Chavez said legislators from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana have begun working together in what he described as “the power five,” a coordinated effort to address concerns shared by states within the PJM footprint.
The coalition is focused on issues related to grid reliability, energy policy, and the regional impacts of decisions made by PJM, which manages electricity transmission and wholesale markets across 13 states and the District of Columbia.
Chavez said the goal of the multi-state effort is to give elected officials a stronger collective voice as energy policy decisions increasingly affect consumers, power producers, and local economies across the region.
