Transparency and Good Governance

What's it all about? PJM is an essential service with the power of a government, but it’s run as a private corporation. Board meetings are behind closed doors, most votes of the membership are kept private, and many decisions can’t be appealed. Voting membership is dominated by utilities, who have an outsized influence on what decisions get made. PJM has not prioritized the transition to cleaner energy and lacks a dedicated Board member with expertise in renewables. 

1. Board reform: In 2022, we led a proposal to require one PJM board member to have clean energy expertise. The measure was rejected 52-21 after Dayton Power and Light and NRG requested a suspension of the rules to make the vote anonymous. At the time, we said: "It’s illuminating that fossil fuel generators pushed to make this vote off the record. That’s because clean energy is popular and nobody wants to publicly oppose it. We will continue to work for positive reforms like this because such changes are inevitable as we work to fight climate change and build a clean, affordable energy future.” 

2. Vote transparency: In 2023, the Maryland House passed a bill that would be the first to require electric utilities in the state to publicly report the votes their representatives take on PJM committees. In 2024, five states introduced similar legislation.