GEOFF BENNETT: Tech leaders from some of# the country's biggest companies met with## President Trump at the White House last night,# promising hundreds of billions of dollars to## accelerate artificial intelligence# and the infrastructure to power it.

They also offered unusually lavish praise# for the president at a moment when many## in the industry are pressing for a# hands-off regulatory approach.

It's## all unfolding as electricity bills climb# nationwide, rising faster than inflation## in many places and in some regions far more# sharply.

The explosive growth of A.I.

and## the massive data centers behind it are# driving demand and straining the grid.

To explain how this hits consumers and what can# be done about it, I spoke earlier with Ari Peskoe,## director of the Electricity Law# Initiative at Harvard Law School.

So, electricity prices are surging# nationwide.

To what extent is the## rapid expansion of A.I.

and those# data centers driving up those costs?

ARI PESKOE, Electricity Law Initiative# Director, Harvard Law School: So, the## rise of these industrial-scale co.. other Internet applications is certainly# one of the factors driving up prices.

And I think there's a chance that A.I.

is# going to drive our bills even higher in## the future.

And there's a couple of# reasons for that.

One is that these## facilities are using so much energy that# utilities are building billions of dollars## of infrastructure to support them and# spreading those costs to all of us.

And the second reason is that# there are energy markets where## utilities buy their power.

And because demand# from these A.I.

energy centers is booming,## it's driving up prices, and we're# all paying those higher prices.

GEOFF BENNETT: And some regions are# getting hit harder than others.

The## nationwide average increase is around# 6 percent, compared to as high as## 14 percent in places like New Jersey and# New York.

What explains those disparities?

ARI PESKOE: Well, a lot of our electricity bill# increases are due to decisions being made by your## local utility.

Three out of four Americans receive# electricity service from a for-profit company## that makes money by investing in infrastructure,# such as power lines and other related assets.

And so a lot of utilities have been replacing# power lines on their aging systems and investing## in new infrastructure.

And that's been driving# up bills.

But different utilities are making## different investment decisions, and that explains# some of the disparity around the country.

GEOFF BENNETT: I'm sure there are people who will# hear you say that and they will ask the question,## shouldn't the tech companies that are profiting# from these data centers and the A.I.

advances,## shouldn't they be the ones to# fit the bill?

Why are everyday## Americans being forced to pay these higher costs?

ARI PESKOE: That's exactly the# right question to be asking.

But the business model of the utility# industry for now more than 100 years has## been to invest in their systems and then# spread those costs for everyone.

That's## always thought to be the fair approach# to supporting our electricity system.

And when you think about it, in a lot# of ways, that is fair.

So, for example,## if there's a storm in your neighborhood and a# tree falls on a power line and the lights go## out in your neighborhood, the utility comes to# fix that, but it doesn't bill you and everyone## in your neighborhood for that.

Rather, it# spreads the cost of those repairs to everybody.

And that you know is seen to be fair,# because certainly you did nothing wrong## when that tree falls down.

And so that# idea of spreading costs through everyone,## when the utility needs to expand the system, it# doesn't just charge the new residences or new## businesses that are joining the system, but,# again, it spreads those costs to everyone.

We're in a bit of a new situation here# when you have individual facilities,## these data centers, that are using# as much electricity as large cities,## and they happen to be supporting the wealthiest# corporations in the world.

I think we need to## revisit some of these fundamental assumptions# behind how we share the costs of our power system.

GEOFF BENNETT: So much of this data center# build-out is relatively new.

Should we be## bracing for even higher prices in the years# ahead or are we already seeing the peak?

ARI PESKOE: I think it's certainly# possible that the costs of this data## center expansion are going# to increase for everyone.

And that's because this -- data centers have been# part of the backbone of our Internet for some time## now, but the size of these facilities has just# so vastly expanded since the introduction of## ChatGPT just a few years ago really kicked# off this wave of, again, these city-sized## data centers that we have never seen before.# And many of them are still in development.

So the costs of all the infrastructure and energy## associated with them really# haven't hit our bills just yet.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, of course, the# Trump administration is pushing coal,## natural gas, nuclear power to# meet the A.I.-driven demand,## while kind of moving away from renewable# energy, like wind and solar.

Do you## see that approach as addressing the core# challenge posed by the rising energy needs?

ARI PESKOE: No, I mean, it doesn't make any# sense to take supply options off the table.## And that's really what this administration# is doing, particularly with wind energy.

We really need every option we can to boost the# amount of electricity if we're going to power## these new computing facilities.

And, as I said,# demand is rising, and that's causing prices to## go up in many markets around the country.# When demand goes up, you want to increase## supply as well.

And under basic economics,# that's going to even out some of the prices.

But it doesn't make any sense what they're doing.

GEOFF BENNETT: So, higher bills are here to stay?

ARI PESKOE: That's certainly the# trend that we're seeing right now.

And all the trend lines are unfortunately# pointing in the wrong direction## for consumers.

So it would be nice to see, again,## let's put more supply options on the table that'll# help alleviate some of the stress we're seeing.

And, in addition, we have to be able to get more# juice out of our current system.

We have to have## the utility industry operate it more efficiently,# so rather than just building more and more and## more, we're actually able to use what we have# in a more efficient, cost-effective manner.

GEOFF BENNETT: Ari Peskoe, director# of the Electricity Law Initiative## at Harvard Law School, great# to speak with you.

Thank you.

ARI PESKOE: Thanks so much.