A watchdog group found that media outlets owned by Rupert Murdoch have pointed to clean energy as the reason people are experiencing rising electricity bills, according to Inside Climate News, but its report found that data centers are the problem.
What's happening?
According to the report, Media Matters examined op-eds and TV segments from Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post between August and October and found they repeatedly blamed New Jersey's clean energy targets for rising rates.
The watchdog said these outlets pointed to offshore wind, solar programs, and coal plant closures as the cause of the price hikes, even though officials and analysts pointed to data centers.
"The extreme hikes we are currently seeing are almost entirely attributable to data centers and their tremendous load," said Brian Lipman, director of the New Jersey Rate Counsel, according to Inside Climate News.
While renewable energy infrastructure such as solar and wind requires some upfront investment, it generates effectively free electricity from that point forward, typically with minimal maintenance required per year. Contrast that with the investment and ongoing staffing and maintenance required to build a new nuclear, goal, or gas turbine plant — along with the infinite need to continue buying and transporting fuel for them — and the benefits of renewables are obvious even without considering any impact each has on pollution.
The regional grid operator, PJM Interconnection, estimates that data centers will add about 30 gigawatts of demand for Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states by 2030. According to the report, that's equal to powering about 20 million homes.
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And the issue doesn't seem to be slowing down. As of Nov. 12, more than 1,330 projects totaling at least 100 gigawatts were waiting to connect to the grid, most of them renewable, according to the report, but they aren't being approved.
A separate assessment from Aurora Energy Research found that connecting even 10% of the stuck renewable projects by 2025 could have lowered capacity prices by a quarter, as cited by Inside Climate News.
"The reason bills are going up is a simple supply and demand problem. PJM has not built enough supply while also not planning for an increase in demand from data centers," said Alex Ambrose, an analyst with the nonpartisan think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective.
How does misleading coverage affect the environment?
Misleading coverage can distort how people understand the pollution problem and ways to improve public health. For example, dirty-energy-funded advertorials appearing in major newspapers and media organizations have previously allowed sponsored content that blurred the line between fair reporting and intentional industry messaging.
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Definitely 👍 Additionally, whistleblower allegations reported that some oil and gas companies carried out long-running messaging efforts that shaped public perception for decades.
Misleading coverage can shape public understanding during moments when people are already financially vulnerable and stressed, so it is important that news coverage remains factual and that any statements by companies are considered with appropriate scrutiny to separate fact from fiction or misleading portrayals.
What's being done about misleading coverage?
Accountability from government officials and regulatory agencies can help, along with independent expert and media attention.
According to Inside Climate News, New Jersey governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, who ran on an "affordability first" platform, pushed back on claims linking clean energy to price increases and said the real issue was PJM delays.
You can also learn how to evaluate misleading environmental claims yourself so you're not relying on false narratives. Checking whether claims are backed by verifiable data helps people avoid being misled by corporate or political messaging. Supporting mainstream companies that are actually investing in cleaner initiatives can also help send the signal that consumers want responsible, fact-based progress.
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