Powerless in the United States: How corporate utilities driver energy unaffordability and climate chaos (January 2025 report)

“Powerless in the United States” is a 2025 report by the Center for Biological Diversity that investigates how six major investor-owned utilities—Georgia Power, DTE Energy, Duke Energy, Ameren, PG&E, and APS—have contributed to worsening energy unaffordability, climate change, and public risk. It tracks over 662,000 power shutoffs during extreme weather in 2024, links these to rising utility profits, and criticizes the utilities for obstructing distributed renewable energy. The report examines systemic issues like rate hikes, fossil fuel expansion, and infrastructure neglect, urging states to act where federal leadership is unlikely under the new administration.

The report found a 21% increase in shutoffs in 2024 amid record heat, with less than 2% of utility shareholder dividends needed to prevent disconnections. Despite this, utilities spent over $6.8 billion in dividends and raked in $10 billion in profits. The report highlights how utilities are expanding methane gas infrastructure, delaying coal retirements, and pushing back against rooftop and community solar. These decisions intensify heatwaves, wildfires, and grid failures—especially in low-income and minority communities. It also exposes how outdated and vulnerable energy systems, particularly in states like California and Michigan, compound the threat of technological hazards such as wildfires triggered by faulty transmission lines.