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Kentucky Latest State to Eye Change in Solar Power Law

Row of solar panels on a solar farm

CEA’s VP for State Affairs, Brydon Ross, discuses how we can best make solar more affordable, and as important, more accessible to individuals in Kentucky.

“We support solar. Don’t misconstrue that. But we have to be realistic about how our grid works,” said Brydon Ross, vice president for state affairs for the Consumer Energy Alliance, whose members include utility companies and others. “We need to think about smart ways to continue to incentivize solar growth. The way we compensate people in that program, frankly, is outdated.”

Read more – AP

From Wind Projects to Pipelines: Energy Policymakers Play Games With Funds

Offshore wind farm

David Holt, Consumer Energy Alliance President, talked about the unnecessary politicization of energy policy which has stalled development of projects like Cape Wind, an offshore wind farm that would have increased the supply of clean, renewable energy in New England.

Instead of greenlighting proposals to expand or build infrastructure to lower costs and help with demand, legislators have instead done all they can to put up roadblocks – not just on pipelines, but on renewables, which some lawmakers say they favor.

Case in point: Cape Wind Associates LLC recently abandoned their proposed offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound, negating over 10 years’ worth of research, work and advocacy after opponents argued that the project would have negative environmental and economic impacts.

But those who stood opposed to the wind farm – like the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, whose president called the project’s end “a major accomplishment” – failed to see the larger impact of the loss.

With 130 wind turbines, it would have been a major boost to the state’s energy supply and the sorely-needed jumpstart the country’s offshore wind industry has been looking for. It would have also helped produce the type of clean energy many legislators say they advocate for.

Read more – Newsmax

Local Lawmakers: Pipelines Could Have Economic Benefits

Pipelines outside of a facility

New pipelines in West Virginia are set to employ thousands of construction workers to move the cast amounts of natural gas being produced to power plants and manufacturers.

Two natural gas pipelines originating in the state could mean economic benefits for all residents, local legislators say…

…Del. John Shott (R-Mercer County) said the lines will bring opportunities, not only for tax revenue but for other state uses.

Read more – Bluefield Daily Telegraph

Northeast Continues to Reject New Energy Infrastructure; Cements Its Dependence on Foreign Energy

Boston Massachusetts Townhouses

BOSTON, MA – Today Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) called on New England policymakers opposed to new energy infrastructure projects to reject future Russian LNG shipments and instead move forward with the expansion of pipeline infrastructure across the region that could use domestic energy supplies and labor to increase lost capacity.

The latest cold snap in New England, coupled with the shortage of pipeline capacity in the region, and the most recent rejection of renewable infrastructure – the region has not only created new issues for clean energy development, but it has caused a renewed appetite for natural gas imports. Currently, the Engie SA Everett import terminal in Boston, which recently received a shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia, meets about 20 percent of the market demand for gas supplies in New England and the Northeast.

“Despite booming U.S. oil and natural gas production and our nation exporting LNG from other terminals on the Gulf Coast, we still have a situation where Russian LNG is being delivered to Boston because the Northeast is insufficient in pipeline and storage capacity,” CEA’s President David Holt said. “From policymakers rejecting pipelines in the region and New Hampshire recently saying no to more hydro transmission, these decisions are just further entrenching the Northeast’s addiction to foreign energy and highlights the regions “Not-In-My-Backyard” stance on energy development.”

Holt added: “Unfortunately, New England families will continue to be crushed by the untenable costs of energy prices this winter, and every foreseeable winter until their policymakers finally take responsibility and make energy affordability a priority. Without acting and realizing the burden facing New England energy consumers, New England policymakers are doomed to rely on Russian LNG tankers to keep the lights on and homes heated, instead of using American energy and infrastructure.”

Last month, a CEA analysis found that the “bomb cyclone” in New England significantly increased regional demand for electricity, causing wholesale electricity prices to increase over 600 percent. For more information on this analysis, please click here.

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About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) brings together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers and manufacturers to support America’s energy future. With more than 450,000 members nationwide, our mission is to help ensure stable prices and energy security for households across the country. We believe energy development is something that touches everyone in our nation, and thus it is necessary for all of us to actively engage in the conversation about how we develop our diverse energy resources and energy’s importance to the economy. Learn more at ConsumerEnergyAlliance.org.

Contact:
Emily Haggstrom
P: 720-582-0242
ehaggstrom@consumerenergyalliance.org

Causer, Scarnati Have Concerns Over Proposed State Budget

Onshore fracking well pad

With a new state budget proposal in Pennsylvania, CEA’s Mike Butler was asked about the effect a new tax proposal would have on energy production in the state.

“The tax could send production firms to other states with more attractive tax structures and predictable, reasonable regulation, resulting in a loss of jobs and tax revenue,” Butler said, adding this could lead to price increases being passed on to consumers, which could mean lost business, too.

Read more – The Bradford Era

Industry Group Touts Assets in Energy-Rich Ohio

Steel mill worker over furnace

Chris Ventura had the opportunity to sit down with The Business Journal to discuss the growing opportunities across Ohio for manufacturers to expand and relocate to take advantage of abundant energy resources.

A critical issue Ohio faces is the development of new energy infrastructure to accommodate growing production and consumption, Ventura said. This isn’t confined to pipeline networks, but includes transmission lines that connect new natural gas-fired plants to the electrical grid, he said.

Read more – The Business Journal

Local Solar Industry Leaders Worried About Proposed KY Bill

With the Kentucky legislature considering updates to decades-old energy policy, CEA’s Brydon Ross discussed the importance of competitive, fair rates to encourage solar energy production.

…over subsidization gets passed on to other people over time when those costs of power distribution are not being collected each month. So what do we do going forward is make sure that in the future when people are putting that power into the grid, they’re getting what every other generator would get…

Read more – Tristate

Pipelines Help Hold Down Energy Costs

A couple paying their utility bills

CEA Midwest Executive Director, discusses the unique impact high energy prices have on individuals and families living below the poverty line.

Unlike other necessities — like housing, food and health care — cash-strapped families frequently can’t look elsewhere for cheaper energy, and local and federal governments often have trouble finding the resources to assist.

Read more – The Intelligencer

Maintaining State’s Strong Energy Security Is Pivotal

American oil refinery

With Ohio producing record amounts of natural gas every month, CEA Midwest’s Chris Ventura discusses what this production means for the state’s economy.

The availability of low-cost energy and modernized infrastructure has led to a resurgence in manufacturing, with Ohio landing 240 new manufacturing projects in 2016. From transportation equipment to food and beverages, businesses that produce goods now account for 18% of the state’s economy and employ more than one in eight of our neighbors, according to the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association.

Read more – Crain’s Cleveland Business

Misconceptions Abound on Private Solar Reform Effort in Kentucky

Solar panel placement on roof

It has been 14 years since Kentucky’s legislature has reviewed and updated solar energy policies.  CEA’s Brydon Ross looks at how revising these policies will allow more Kentuckians to take advantage of new, lower-cost solar technologies.

Energy has become an impassioned subject, with supporters of one type of energy calling supporters of another type “anti-this” and “anti-that.”

But we don’t have to divide lines, exaggerate facts and pit energy types against each other.

When you oppose one type of energy – any type – we all suffer, either from higher prices or an unstable supply, or both.

Read more – Courier-Journal

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