E&E News notes that "For many companies, the ongoing shift to clean energy presents a massive financial opportunity. But for U.S. electric utilities, the transition may upend a longstanding business model."
The article states, "In many ways, the Southeast is ground zero for this emerging battle. It’s home to some of the biggest U.S. utility companies, which have enormous political and business clout. States and companies must decide how quickly to shut down coal plants and how much extra capacity should remain on the grid as extreme weather threatens reliability."
Ford School postdoctoral fellow Josh Basseches said, "Given the political leanings of [the Southeast region], I highly suspect that the utilities are going to win the day. In general, the Southeast is the area of the country that’s lagging when it comes to climate and energy policy."