Electricity demand in the United States was essentially flat for two decades, but now the country is in a period of rapid load growth driven by artificial intelligence (AI), data centers, advanced manufacturing, and electrification. This surge is colliding with an electricity system built for slow, incremental change. Consumers face rising costs, power producers struggle with multiyear interconnection delays, and grid operators confront growing reliability risks. State and federal policymakers are under pressure to address these issues quickly―without burdening taxpayers or existing ratepayers.