MJL Morning Briefing | | From Matt Leonard · Friday, August 28, 2026 | TOP STORY Monitoring Analytics told PJM's Members Committee in a Monday presentation that data center load accounted for 9%, or $10.48/MWh, of wholesale power costs, as total PJM wholesale costs surged 46% to $56.7 billion. Utility Dive | Energy Industry Trump signed an order Wednesday, Aug. 26 declaring a national emergency and moving to block some foreign-made bulk-power equipment, including transformers, batteries, inverters and associated software, with rules due within 120 days. Utility Dive Shirley's Cookie Company facilities manager Richard Weyant told Republican legislators at an Altoona policy committee meeting Thursday that his Blair County plant cut electricity use 5.7% over four years while its bills rose 17.4%. PA Capital-Star | PA & NJ Politics Gov. Josh Shapiro joined nearly two dozen states in a suit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Maryland seeking to vacate Title X conditions requiring applicants to end diversity programs and support for "gender ideology." PA Capital-Star Coroner Stephen Diamantoni said Thursday his office ruled out measles as a contributing factor in an infant's death, complicating the state's announcement this week of two measles-related deaths of Lancaster County residents. LancasterOnline via Spotlight PA Some Pennsylvania mothers who lost a child to a drug overdose opted out of a recent listening session hosted by the state's opioid trust, citing concerns about how the group engages with the public. Spotlight PA Opponents of the nondiscrimination ordinance Luzerne County Council passed in June collected 15,405 verified signatures, forcing a council vote on reconsideration that would trigger a countywide referendum if it fails. WVIA via Spotlight PA | On the Floor — Next Session House · Bill On Concurrence (keywords: data center, data centers) PA General Assembly Senate · Third Consideration (keywords: data center, data centers) PA General Assembly | National Politics Federal judge again blocks Postal Service mail voting rules A federal judge late Thursday again halted the U.S. Postal Service's new mail voting rules, a decision Politico reports could quickly end up back at the Supreme Court. Politico Playbook Judge finds Hegseth broke the law in designating Anthropic a supply chain risk A federal judge in California ruled Thursday night that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acted unlawfully in designating Anthropic a national security supply chain risk; a second Anthropic suit in the D.C. Circuit remains pending. Politico Playbook Hemp ban fight lands on next week's House government funding vote Opponents of a ban on intoxicating hemp products may prevail because closing the loophole by legislation would require changing the stopgap, and House leaders intend to pass the funding bill quickly to avoid a shutdown. Politico Playbook Conflicting readouts emerge from CIA Director Ratcliffe's Moscow trip Ratcliffe asked Russia not to share intelligence with Iran, per NBC, and delivered a downbeat assessment of Russia's Ukraine war to Putin, per the NYT; the Trump-directed mission was kept from some top White House officials. Politico Playbook | Pittsburgh Sports Buffalo won on a 2-yard touchdown run followed by a 2-point conversion pass with 1:06 left Thursday night; Will Howard threw for 69 yards on 9-of-15 passing and Drew Allar 88 yards on 9-of-18. Steelers.com | Market Snapshot | PJM West Hub (RT) | $39.66/MWh +32.1% | | PJM AEP-Dayton (RT) | $42.48/MWh +44.8% | | PJM Capacity 28/29 | $325.00/MW-day | | Henry Hub | $2.70/MMBtu | | WTI Crude | $83.08/bbl -0.5% |
As of Aug 28, 8:00 a.m. EPT (PJM RT) | Curated by Matt Leonard. Numbers from real endpoints only. |
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