2025 in Review: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Energy

“Win #1: Early Signs of Liberating Electricity

In August, New Hampshire sparked a revolution in electricity supply by passing bold legislation that exempts off-grid electricity providers from the jurisdiction of the state’s public utilities commission. Glen Lyons at Advocates for Consumer Regulated Electricity deserves much of the credit (he donates his time), and New Hampshire Representative Michael Vose spearheaded the legislative effort. The journey from original concept to enacted state law was the swiftest I’ve ever seen, and I’m grateful to everyone involved.

This win is extra sweet because it’s truly nonpartisan. The New Hampshire law brought together supporters of clean energy and free markets. Sam Evans-Brown of Clean Energy NH joined Andrew Cline of the Josiah Bartlett Center and Glen to write an op-ed about the law in the NH Journal. A Republican lawmaker in Illinois read the New Hampshire law and introduced a bill with similar language in his state, picking up three Democratic cosponsors.

In December, the energy task force of the American Legislative Exchange Council advanced a model bill that would allow Consumer Regulated Electric (CRE) Utilities in any state that adopts the bill language (“CRE” has become shorthand for off-grid utility networks). Watch this space in 2026 to see how many states choose to liberate their electricity industry in the face of growing political pressure to address concerns about reliability and affordability. At the federal level, I’ll keep pushing for CRE Utilities to be exempt from the Federal Power Act.”

https://travisfisher.substack.com/p/2025-in-review-life-liberty-and-the