Washington, D.C – As Maryland legislators consider the future of energy infrastructure and regulatory changes in the state’s electric market, Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) Mid-Atlantic Executive Director Mike Butler reinforced the consumer group’s support for an energy policy that can bring affordable and reliable power to the region for consumers.
As the leading consumer advocate for energy, CEA works to ensure that families – especially low-income individuals, those on fixed incomes and people living paycheck-to-paycheck – and businesses have access to the affordable, reliable energy they need to meet critical budget and payroll numbers.
To ensure this happens, it is essential that our policymakers and members of the community understand the importance of projects like the Independence Energy Connection (IEC), which will create access to the electric grid for low-cost energy to move to areas that currently lack access, and those of us who are struggling to pay their current bills. That is why CEA supports this project and the $866 million in savings families and businesses will enjoy throughout the area over the first 15 years of the project. It is also critical that the project will also address forecasted reliability concerns for consumers in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
“Projects like the Independence Energy Connection will create access for new energy suppliers to enter, and compete, in the region’s wholesale electric market,” said Butler. “That competition not only benefits the consumer, but it also helps keep the economy moving forward while protecting cash-strapped households and those who need it most.”
Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the bottom fifth of U.S. households spend 22 percent of their after-tax income on residential utility bills and gasoline in April 2016. These higher costs hit families and individuals in Maryland who are less well-off harder than others.
As the energy market evolves and new sources come online, the electric grid and its corresponding infrastructure must change. CEA supports all-of-the-above energy policies and infrastructure that can reliably get that energy to market.
“The Mid-Atlantic and New England regions have long lacked the necessary infrastructure to ensure communities on the east coast have access to the energy they need at a reasonable cost. Even the region’s grid operator, PJM Interconnection recommended the Independence Energy Connection project as a critical improvement. The forward-thinking approach for this Pennsylvania-Maryland project is good for consumers and the environment, and it is necessary.”
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About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is the leading consumer advocate for energy, bringing together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers and manufacturers to support America’s environmentally sustainable energy future. With more than 550,000 members nationwide, our mission is to help ensure stable prices and energy security for households and businesses across the country. CEA works daily to encourage people across the nation to seek sensible, realistic and environmentally responsible solutions to meeting our energy needs.
Contact:
Emily Haggstrom
P: 720-582-0242
ehaggstrom@consumerenergyalliance.org