In today’s rapidly advancing world, the importance of reliable and affordable electricity has never been greater. However, new EPA regulations are threatening our economy by forcing dependable power plants to shut down.
In response, state public utility commissioners from across the country are sounding the alarm about the harmful consequences of these regulations. Their message is clear: the rush to prematurely retire reliable electricity sources could jeopardize our power grid at a time when the demand for electricity is increasing rapidly.
For our latest video, Securing America’s Electricity Supply, we spoke to five commissioners about the need to preserve electric reliability and America’s coal plants. You can watch the video at the top of this blog post, and we have highlighted several important excerpts below:
“We need to make sure reliability is our number one focus.”
— Art Graham, Member of the Florida Public Service Commission
“The current challenge to reliability is this rush across the nation to go to total renewables and shut down our coal-fired power plants.”
— Charlotte Lane, Chair of the West Virginia Public Service Commission
“It certainly is an issue to be calling for the retirement of massive numbers of coal and gas-fired power…at the very time where demand is increasing.”
— Julie Fedorchak, Member of the North Dakota Public Service Commission
“These [EPA] regulations aren’t based upon reality. They do affect reliability, affordability, everything down the line, and they’re all just leading to catastrophe.”
— Tony O’Donnell, Member of the Montana Public Service Commission
“In our rush to transition to newer electricity resources, we have forgotten how important affordable and reliable electricity is to our economy and our future.”
— Michelle Bloodworth, President and CEO of America’s Power
“Because [EPA] can’t ban coal directly … they’re trying to price it out of market. And who that hurts is the customer. That hurts everyday Americans.”
— Tricia Pridemore, Chair of the Georgia Public Service Commission
We are grateful to Commissioners Tricia Pridemore, Julie Fedorchak, Art Graham, Charlotte Lane, and Tony O’Donnell for highlighting this critical issue. As we look to the future, we must ensure that federal regulations protect – not undermine – the reliable electricity supply that is necessary to power our nation.