FEMA Facing Shakeup Under Trump: Leaked Report Reveals Drastic Overhaul Plans, Weakening Federal Disaster Readiness

Postponed FEMA Review Council meeting and leaked report foreshadow drastic cuts in aid to communities as extreme weather events grow more frequent and severe.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A leaked draft report from the FEMA Review Council, obtained by CNN last week, recommends massive cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) workforce and services, sparking national outrage from state and local emergency response managers, elected officials, and advocates. The Council was expected to vote on these recommendations at a public meeting last Wednesday, but the meeting was abruptly cancelled and postponed by the White House. 

Since President Trump took office in January 2025, his administration has worked aggressively to dismantle FEMA and undermine federal disaster response. The average wait time for FEMA aid has quadrupled, and the agency has increasingly rejected state disaster requests – which have largely fallen on party lines – leaving local communities to languish. Additionally, the Administration has cancelled funding for resilience programs, like the popular Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, plus new requirements that states update population counts to exclude people “removed from the State pursuant to the immigration laws of the United States,” have prompted several lawsuits. From Maryland to Washington, states are being forced to fill the void left by the federal government’s retreat from its disaster response duties. This report constitutes a significant affront to communities that have been abandoned in the grueling recovery process. 

Gabrielle Walton, the Federal Campaigns Coordinator at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, issued the following statement:

“The FEMA Review Council’s draft report and subsequent abrupt cancellation of its public hearing make it clear that the Administration has no interest in reforming FEMA to better serve survivors of extreme weather disasters. Instead, it seeks to put politics over communities whose suffering will only increase due to human-caused climate change.

Time and time again, communities and emergency managers have warned that the federal government’s role in disaster response is irreplaceable. Forcing states to be solely responsible for disaster response and preparedness will only further fracture our already-weakened response and recovery process. Furthermore, privatizing the National Flood Insurance Program to incentivize industry profits will only deepen harm for disaster survivors. With the FEMA Review Council’s report being delayed by over a month now, communities across the country face increasing uncertainty as to how the federal government may or may not show up in their times of greatest need. 

 In the age of the worsening climate crisis, which President Trump continues to deny to enrich his Big Oil allies, the nation’s disaster response framework cannot be neglected. America needs a fully-funded, fully-staffed, and strengthened FEMA. For this reason, we are outraged by the Administration’s lack of transparency regarding the FEMA Review Council’s report, and we believe that its recommendations to significantly reduce FEMA should be completely rejected.”

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the first grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. Founded in 2002, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC and beyond.

PJM Auction Means Another Year of High Electricity Prices

Despite pressure from Maryland legislative leaders and advocates, PJM fails to connect clean energy to bring prices down 

 

BALTIMORE, MD – PJM, the electricity grid operator responsible for keeping the lights on in 13 Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states plus the District of Columbia, shared the results of its most recent capacity auction yesterday: there is no good news for ratepayers. As a result of this auction, the total price of electricity has reached $16.4 billion. The prices that customers in PJM’s region will start paying in June 2026 are nearly $14 billion higher than the $2.2 billion paid in 2024. And that increase would have been even greater if not for the temporary price cap that was negotiated by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, in conjunction with Maryland Governor Wes Moore and other governors. Without this cap, the price of the capacity auction would have been 59% higher. Future auctions will not have this protection in place, underscoring the urgent need for PJM to adopt longer-term reforms that safeguard ratepayers.  

If PJM integrates clean energy projects into its grid more quickly, that could lower capacity prices and enhance grid reliability. Compared to other grid managers, PJM has one of the longest timelines in the country for connecting new clean energy projects. 

PJM and the large energy generators and utility companies that dominate its board must be  held accountable for the price spikes they have caused. PJM makes decisions that are to blame for rising costs and increasing the risk of blackouts, e.g., not requiring data centers to provide their own power or agree to be shut off in the event of low energy supply, as many advocates and elected officials have urged. PJM has also failed to protect ratepayers from having to shoulder additional capacity costs created by new data center demand — a cost which could reach $100 billion by 2032. 

Governor Moore, multiple state agencies, and members of the Maryland General Assembly have pushed back on PJM for flaws in its rate-setting process and chronic failure to connect clean energy projects to the grid. Most recently, Gov. Moore joined a bipartisan group of Governors calling on PJM to make policy changes to mitigate skyrocketing electric supply rates. 

In a functioning capacity market, prices rise in response to low energy supply, incentivizing the development of new power sources to meet demand. However, PJM hasn’t lacked new energy projects interested in connecting to the grid. As of April 2024, PJM had 286.7 gigawatts (GW) of backlogged proposed energy projects waiting for PJM’s approval to be connected to the grid – enough to power roughly 228 million homes for a year. More than 90% of these projects are clean energy like wind, solar, and battery storage, fueling criticism that PJM is standing in the way of new clean energy and driving up profits for legacy power generators. A recent analysis found that if PJM increased the speed at which it allows new projects to connect to the grid, it would save individual households at least $500 a year. 

Instead of fixing its broken interconnection process, PJM is considering creating a fast-track that would favor large thermal generators like gas plants and allow them to bypass the line. PJM acknowledges that this expedited track may cause further delays in processing the thousands of cheaper and quicker to build wind, solar, and storage projects waiting in the queue.  

While PJM’s slow processes have limited Maryland’s ability to build new energy projects, Maryland lawmakers took action in 2025 to speed up the deployment of batteries and solar power in the state.

Increases in electric supply rates have exacerbated rate pain for Marylanders who have already been struggling with the high utility delivery charges. Subsidiaries of the Exelon Company, including BGE, PEPCO, and Delmarva Power, increased delivery rates for gas and electricity at a rate far outpacing inflation. During the 2025 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly made several changes to utility ratemaking policies, which are expected to slow the rate of increase when implemented by the Maryland Public Service Commission.

In response to the auction results, advocates made the following statements:

“This capacity market auction is another example that PJM’s failure to connect clean energy to the grid is driving up our energy bills,” said Brittany Baker, Maryland Director of Chesapeake Climate Action Network. Ratepayers are footing the bill for PJM’s outdated policies and slow-moving practices. This massive wealth transfer is breaking the backs of Marylanders.”

“Marylanders will face another year of outrageous electricity bills because PJM has not taken the necessary steps to allow the clean energy projects in the queue to supply the clean, reliable energy we need to meet rising demand,” said Maryland PIRG Foundation Senior Advisor Emily Scarr. “PJM needs to reform its broken interconnection process and ensure that the decisions it makes align with the interests of the public, not utility and incumbent power generator interests. Marylanders, and all consumers in the PJM region, deserve a grid that is reliable, functional, and that doesn’t put its thumb on the scale for dirty power.”

“PJM is trying the same thing over and over, and they keep getting the same result: higher energy prices for all of us,” said State Delegate Lorig Charkoudian. “It’s past time for PJM to try something new and implement reforms that will lower our energy bills by allowing more clean energy to connect to the grid.” 

“These are difficult times for Maryland families, and many report they can barely make ends meet with increases in rent, food prices, and other living expenses. Adding higher electric bills will push some families into homelessness or bankruptcy,” said Laurie Welch with Third Act.

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D.C. Residents Disrupt Public Service Commission Hearing Over Washington Gas’s $215 Million Pipeline Cash Grab

Songs, chants and comedic clown noises shake PSC chambers as Washington Gas faces public fury over rising leaks, soaring bills, and a massive new pipeline spending request.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The D.C. Public Service Commission (PSC) hearing on Washington Gas’s pipeline replacement program, Project Pipes, had to stop in its tracks today, as residents broke into protest songs, clapping, and noisemaking to call out what they described as the gas utility’s corporate greed and the Commission’s continued failure to protect ratepayers.  

The protest came as Washington Gas faced scrutiny for its poor safety record and its latest request to pour another $215 million of customer money into the third phase of its failing, over-budget methane gas pipeline replacement program. The company’s proposal, a 43% spending increase over its prior plan, follows a 13% rate hike, set to take effect on New Year’s Day, both measures that will significantly boost corporate profits for the utility’s shareholders. 

The hearing periodically erupted with songs, chanting, clapping, and comedic “clown noises” from local advocates and residents frustrated by years of inaction. Demonstrators held signs reading “Reject District (un)SAFE” and “PSC Do Your Job”, turning the proceeding into a spontaneous act of public resistance. 

“D.C. families are struggling to make ends meet this holiday season. Meanwhile, Washington Gas is looking to pad its profits again,” said Claire Mills, DC Campaigns Manager at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund. “In just the past few weeks, the Public Service Commission has allowed the utility to raise gas rates on District residents and extended its pipeline replacement program to tune of another $25 million — all of which will be paid by District residents. As utility regulators remain asleep at the wheel and leave Washington Gas’ corporate greed unchecked, advocates today spoke out in protest to ensure families and residents have access to affordable, reliable heating that doesn’t break the bank. Today’s disruption was a cry for accountability, and a demand that our regulators finally wake up.” 

In February 2025, eight D.C. council members urged the Commission to reject Washington Gas’s funding request, warning it does not “meaningfully advance the goal of providing both safe and reliable power to District residents.” Despite these concerns, the Commission has repeatedly approved measures that transfer costs onto consumers, including $12.5 million pipeline fee included in the 13% rate hike and a $25 million extension of the previous Project Pipes 2 earlier this fall. 

Washington Gas’s continued pipeline spending has done little to improve safety. The company’s own data shows that gas leak reports have risen as much as 25% from 2020 to 2024, and in October 2024, the utility took more than six hours to respond to a gas odor emergency.  Regulators fined Washington Gas $180,000 for “failing to adequately report gas leaks, gas emergencies, and gas outages.” Independent data shows ‘grade 1’ gas leaks rose 40% from 2014 to 2023, while researchers identified more than 400 gas leaks in 2022. Gas leaks are estimated to cost D.C. taxpayers $674 million annually. At the hearing, Earthjustice Senior Attorney Tim Oberleiton cross-examined Washington Gas’s track record on gas pipeline spending as part of the Commission’s deliberations.

For every mile of gas pipeline replaced, Washington Gas passes the cost to consumers, along with extra billing that turns into corporate profits. Washington Gas’s pipeline spending is on track to cost District residents $12 billion, bills D.C. families will keep paying for decades. Already, one in seven residents are behind on their gas bills, with Washington Gas shutting off service to nearly 3,000 customers in 2024. Meanwhile, last week, Washington Gas’s parent company, AltaGas, announced a 6% dividend increase to shareholders, citing both the recent 13% rate hike and continued capital spending as drivers behind the company’s growth. 

Watch the live stream recording on our Facebook account HERE.

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund is dedicated to driving change in public policies at the local, state, and national levels to address the climate crisis. Through voter education, lobbying, and participation in the electoral process, we seek to advance our country’s leadership in the global movement toward clean energy solutions — focusing our efforts primarily in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. We know that a vibrant democracy is central to our success so we work to defend democratic integrity wherever we can.

Data centers and AI are gouging ratepayers

LTE by Gita Lefstein, a CCAN Volunteer from Baltimore, initially published in the Baltimore Sun.

I was glad to see The Baltimore Sun address the question of data centers in the Nov. 7 article, “Why are Maryland power bills spiking? Is AI to blame?” On Nov. 19, members of PJM, the unelected nonprofit that regulates the electrical grid for our region, will meet to address the explosive growth of data centers. Demand for energy growth in the PJM region is expected to grow by 32 gigawatts by 2030, 30 of which can be attributed to new data center growth. PJM needs to ensure that Marylanders are not left with higher bills and a dirtier grid.

At a minimum, PJM should require new data centers to bring their own (clean) energy online with them, so that they pay the costs for the new energy, rather than having residential customers pay the costs. Bringing on new solar, wind and battery storage is better for our health, more affordable and quicker to bring online than fossil fuels.

Unfortunately, PJM has a record of mishandling the grid, causing our rates to spike. Last year, PJM forced two coal plants, whose owner was trying to retire them, to stay online due to PJM’s lack of transparent planning — all while clean energy projects sat in the queue waiting to be approved. Today, Marylanders are paying more to keep those dirty, expensive coal plants online.

These choices aren’t accidents. PJM is governed by a body of companies — mostly fossil fuel generators and utilities. Most of them directly profit from fossil fuel projects, and PJM’s bias has been clear in their decision-making for years. Now, with the rise of Big Tech, their biases toward data centers are just as clear.

Bringing data centers online immediately would come at a direct cost to Marylanders. Average household electric bills are predicted to rise as much as $70 per month by 2030 if data centers don’t pay their own costs. They would also strain the grid, which would give power companies an excuse to revert to their usual biases and bring more fossil fuels online. It’s a deadly cycle.

AI, and the data centers that make it possible, are to blame for worsening this cycle of fossil fuel-bias by PJM. We have to break the cycle now by telling Gov. Wes Moore to make it clear to PJM: If we’re going to bring more data centers online, they need to bring clean energy.

LTE by Gita Lefstein, a CCAN Volunteer from Baltimore, initially published in the Baltimore Sun.