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October 20, 2026

MJL Morning Briefing — Tue, Oct 20

MJL Morning Briefing
From Matt Leonard · Tuesday, October 20, 2026
TOP STORY
⚡FERC large-load mandate grades ISOs on data center interconnection readiness
Enverus graded ISO/RTOs on FERC's June 2026 large-load mandate, finding SPP most prepared while PJM has largest high-confidence pipeline at 11.8 GW for data center capacity by 2030.
Utility Dive
Energy Industry
⚡PA House passes clean energy tax credits and ratepayer rebate fee in HB 1667
Gov. Shapiro's PA EDGE tax credit programs and a new $0.02/kWh fee for electric ratepayer rebates were included in House Bill 1667, passed 193-10 on October 19, 2026, and sent back to the Senate.
PA Environment Daily
AEP signs 960-MW Indiana nuclear pact with Amazon, X-energy
AEP signed a 960-MW Indiana nuclear agreement with Amazon and X-energy, under which Amazon would purchase power via a long-term contract covering facility costs and operations.
Utility Dive
What Google's virtual power plant in PJM says about the race for electricity
Voltus CEO Dana Guernsey compared Google's virtual power plant in PJM 'bring your own new capacity' contracts to the power purchase agreements that revolutionized utility-scale solar and wind development.
Utility Dive
Schneider Electric sees record-high Q3 revenue on global data center boom
Schneider Electric reported record-high Q3 revenue driven by global data center boom, with North America as the largest revenue source and China and East Asia showing higher organic growth.
Utility Dive
PA & NJ Politics
⚡Gov. Josh Shapiro says he is 'very open' to Trump-backed education tax credit program
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he is 'very open' to opting into the Trump-backed federal scholarship tax credit program but may wait until after the midterm elections to decide.
PA Capital-Star Morning Guide
ICE partnerships with PA law enforcement tripled to 146 agencies
Partnerships between ICE and Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies have tripled since the beginning of the year to 146 agencies, PennLive reports.
Spotlight PA (PA Post)
Whole-Home Repairs program aided over 4,000 Pennsylvanians
Pennsylvania’s Whole-Home Repairs program helped more than 4,000 people fix up their homes with federal COVID-relief funding, WESA reports.
Spotlight PA (PA Post)
Tioga County man charged with threatening to kill Pa. state lawmaker
A Tioga County man was charged with threatening to kill Pennsylvania state lawmaker Rep. Jamie Walsh and her family, via WGAL.
Spotlight PA (PA Post)
NJ Assembly advances AI chatbot regulation bill A5607
Assemblymember Paul Kanitra supported legislation NJ A5607 advancing in committee Monday to regulate AI chatbots and allow lawsuits under product liability law.
Politico NJ Playbook
On the Floor — Next Session
HB 2480 — This bill requires utilities to ensure that at least one AED is readily available and operable at each worksite.
House · Second Consideration (watchlist)
PA General Assembly
HB 2584 — This bill provides for Public Utility Rate Transparency and Online Database Requirement.
House · Second Consideration (keyword: public utilities)
PA General Assembly
HR 630 — A Resolution directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study on data center decommissioning in Pennsylvania and provide recommendations. - Energy, October 05, 2026
House · Resolutions (keyword: data center)
PA General Assembly
SB 1408 — An Act providing for data center transparency; prohibiting certain nondisclosure agreements between public agencies and data centers; providing for data centers and public input; prohibiting data centers from being…
Senate · Third Consideration (keywords: data center, data centers)
PA General Assembly
National Politics
House Democrats plan oversight into Elon Musk's $300 million midterm election spending
Texas Rep. Greg Casar says House Oversight Committee will investigate how Elon Musk's attempt to spend $300 million in midterm elections aims to secure billions in federal contracts.
Politico Playbook
FERC approves ISO-NE asset condition transmission review process
FERC Commissioners David Rosner and Judy Chang approved ISO-NE's asset condition transmission review process, urging other regions to adopt similar oversight for local transmission projects.
Utility Dive
Mike Johnson rallies for GOP in PA, cites national attention on races
House Speaker Mike Johnson has rallied for GOP candidates throughout Pennsylvania, including seven visits to the 7th Congressional District, saying the entire country is watching Pennsylvania’s midterm elections.
Spotlight PA (PA Post)
President Trump announced $8 billion in USDA aid for farmers affected by high diesel prices
President Trump said last night that the Agriculture Department would provide $8 billion in economic aid to farmers hurt by high diesel prices.
NYT The Morning
Market Snapshot
PJM West Hub (RT)$343.36/MWh
PJM AEP-Dayton (RT)$338.68/MWh
PJM Capacity 28/29$325.00/MW-day
Henry Hub$3.22/MMBtu
WTI Crude$100.47/bbl +2.0%
As of Oct 20, 8:13 a.m. EPT (PJM RT)
Curated by Matt Leonard. Numbers from real endpoints only.
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