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Consumer Groups Launch New Pro-Solar Campaign in Kentucky

Large solar panel installation on rooftop

LOUISVILLE, KY — Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) today announced the launch of a new campaign called “Kentuckians for Solar Fairness,” which aims to raise awareness on smart ways to continue the responsible growth of the Commonwealth’s solar deployment while ensuring that costs on the universal grid remain fair for everyone – both private solar and non-solar users – especially families, seniors, and those struggling to pay their energy bills.

“We strongly support the expansion of solar as part of our state’s growing energy mix, which is why it’s important we continue to examine our existing policies and make sure they’re keeping pace with the tremendous changes underway in this dynamic industry,” said Brydon Ross, CEA’s Vice President of State Affairs. “But Kentucky’s 14-year old private solar program was based in a different era. It no longer adequately advances solar development in the broadest possible way. It’s time to consider effectively updating and evolving solar policies so we don’t negatively impact the future of solar growth.”

The long-time Kentucky resident added: “Currently, our incentive structure continues to compensate participants at 300 percent above the competitive price for energy, even though installation costs have dropped 70 percent in recent years. Further, the current private solar program creates gaps in paying for continuous power delivery and service that we all enjoy – inadvertently passing those costs on to folks who have yet to adopt private solar. We need to ensure that this ‘cost-shifting’ is properly addressed before it becomes an even bigger problem – like we’ve seen in other states – while continuing to promote policies that encourage solar use and affordable prices.”

Commenting on CEA’s new campaign, Dave Adkisson, President and CEO Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, stated “We are pleased to support this effort. The Kentucky Chamber is focused on ensuring reliable, affordable power in Kentucky and supports legislation that guarantees customers pay their fair share of utility services. It is important to revisit policies, such as our private solar laws, which were originally designed to support new technologies, as our energy landscape is rapidly changing.”

Lee Lingo, the Executive Director of the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers (KAM) stated, “KAM is always working with our utility partners to maintain strong, reliable, affordable energy and ensure costs for manufacturers stay competitive to keep our sector and the Commonwealth growing. It is always good to review older policies to ensure they are still relevant and competitive in today’s marketplace. We believe it is prudent to look at private solar policies to make sure rates and costs remain equitable and fair for everyone while growing the industry.”

“Kentuckians for Solar Fairness” will serve as an education portal for the public to learn more about Kentucky’s solar policies, keep track of breaking news, and share their voices with policymakers. CEA has a long history in promoting pro-solar, pro-grid, and pro-consumer policies. In 2016, CEA issued the first-ever comparison of state and federal incentive policies across 15 states, to help inform debate across the country. It found that, in many states, total incentives are greater than a private solar system’s total costs, pushing expenses onto less affluent customers who cannot participate in private solar programs.

Kentucky’s 2018 Legislative Session offers an opportunity to enact meaningful reform of the Commonwealth’s private solar credit programs, aligning incentives so that the program has a stable future with equitable costs. Recent legislation was filed by Rep. Jim Gooch, which provides a forward-thinking approach that:

  • Protects families, seniors, businesses and lower-income households from cost shifting
  • Expands solar deployment and ensures incentives are sustainable
  • Grandfathers in existing private solar customers

To learn more about Kentuckians for Solar Fairness, please visit: https://consumerenergyalliance.org/kentuckians-solar-fairness/

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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

Stand up for Fair Solar Access in Kentucky

Family Walking in the Park

The Kentucky legislature is voting on legislation – called HB 227 – which will protect electricity costs for you, your family, senior citizens, low-income families, and your neighbors!  ACT NOW!

We encourage you to ACT NOW to help make sure your energy costs are affordable, our electricity grid remains reliable, and we continue to grow solar power in the Commonwealth!

It’s time we bring solar rules into the new decade to improve cost structures and make sure we’re all paying a fair and equal price for our electricity.

Tell Frankfort to improve our laws, expand the use of solar, and protect monthly energy budgets for people across Kentucky.

We need your voice!

Dear Senator/Representative,

I’m writing today to share my support for HB 227, a recently filed bill in the Kentucky House that, as I understand, will help advance the use of solar power, protect my electricity bill from additional costs, and improve the reliability of our grid.

Kentucky’s private solar policies are 14 years old, and in need of updates. With so much changing in our state’s energy mix, it’s time that program’s like these change too. This bill, HB 227, will:

  • Protect families, seniors, businesses, and the poor from unnecessary costs;
  • Expand solar deployment with sustainable incentives in the future; and
  • Allow existing customers to continue selling their excess electricity back to the grid.

The common-sense reform proposed in this bill more accurately reflects modern market conditions, while updating Kentucky’s private solar program which pays participants 300% more than the competitive rate for electricity.

The bill also ensures the rules don’t change for people in the program now, and it will grandfather in existing customers for another 25 years.

I know, through responsible reform, we will continue to grow solar in Kentucky and expand this vibrant industry, while improving our overall electricity system and protecting our most vulnerable from cost increases.

Please vote for this important and much needed reform.

Sincerely,

No New Energy Taxes

Rolled Steel

Mike Butler, Executive Director of CEA Mid-Atlantic, comments on how the proposed energy taxes will negatively impact Pennsylvanians.

But for those barely getting by, lawmakers should refrain from implementing the slew of proposed new energy taxes that were under consideration last year.

That includes calls for a severance tax, which may make producers charge more for natural gas, upping costs on end-users and increasing prices for necessities made using energy, which includes everything from clothes and medications to plastics and carpeting.

Read more – Pittsburgh Tribune

Consumer Advocate Praises Private Solar Reform Legislation

Large solar installation

LOUISVILLE, KY — Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), a national advocate for energy consumers, today announced support for recent legislation (HB 227) proposed in the Kentucky House of Representatives that would help expand solar deployment across the Commonwealth, helping to protect and add options for families, seniors, and small businesses, many of whom are paying additional costs under the state’s existing private solar incentive program.

CEA’s Vice President of State Affairs, Brydon Ross, a long-time Kentucky resident, stated: “We want to thank Rep. Jim Gooch for his leadership on this important issue and offering this forward-thinking bill that will protect families and those living on fixed-incomes while also recognizing the growing interest across Kentucky for the continued expansion of solar deployment. CEA strongly supports solar development as part of a diverse, robust energy mix. As prices for installment continue to come down, it is important that our policies keep pace with this rapidly changing industry.”

He added: “Preventing cost-shifting is simply a matter of fairness and good public policy. It’s time to update Kentucky’s 14-year old private solar statutes. Grandfathering in existing private solar customers and continuing to reward participants for the excess energy they generate while aligning incentives with actual competitive electric prices ensures fair costs and the reliability of our grid.”

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Top 5 Energy Stories You Might Have Missed Last Week

Last week’s media was dominated by cold fronts in places like the Northeast and Southeast regions of the country, but there were still bits of good news we thought we’d share. Check out the stories you may have missed while talks about the impending government shutdown occurred.

Household Furnace Repair

5Winter Storm Generates Record-Setting Natural Gas Withdrawals (via Houston Chronicle)

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, recent cold weather resulted in the largest natural gas withdrawals in history, totaling 358 billion cubic feet during the first week of January.  This surpasses the previous record of 288 billion cubic feet set during the 2014 Polar Vortex.  The South Central region of the country (including Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama) withdrew the largest numbers.  The cold weather also impacted supplies as natural gas production was slowed due to plunging temperatures.

Electric Car Charging On Street

4Pilot Program Will Bring 7,500 Electric Car Chargers to California (via Greentech Media)

Pacific Gas & Electric launched the nation’s largest utility-sponsored electric vehicle (EV) charging program this week in California.  The state currently boasts 6.65 electric cars per 1,000 residents, however, charging infrastructure is the greatest challenge to EV market growth.  The pilot program will identify sites with limited charging access and underserved neighborhoods and could boost electric vehicles usage across populations.

Oil field workers in front of oil derrick

3U.S. Oil Output Reaches Record Levels (via U.S. News and World Report)

The rapid growth of shale production is set to reach 10 million barrels per day, breaking a previous record set in 1970.  Government forecasts project continued growth into 2019 with production reaching 11 million barrels a day. This surge will reduce U.S. oil imports by one-fifth over the next decade, create jobs in production areas, and lower gasoline prices.

Northeast Snow Storm

2New England Grid Operator Predicts Fuel Shortage, Rolling Blackouts (via MassLive)

ISO New England released its vulnerability analysis this week and concluded that states in the operating region might have inadequate fuel supplies during the 2024-25 heating season due to challenges with pipeline capacity. The study assessed a range of potential scenarios involving various sources of fuel and recommended increased LNG exports, increased development in renewables and expanding the existing transmission network in order to import electricity from surrounding regions.  ISO New England currently relies on a mixture of approximately 49 percent natural gas, 31 percent nuclear, 10 percent renewables, 7 percent hydro, 2 percent coal, and less than one percent oil.

Large solar panel installation on rooftop

1New Solar Project in West Texas Will Power 50,000 Homes Per Year (via Houston Chronicle)

The largest utility-scale solar project in Texas is coming to Pecos County.  Power from the 236-megawatt capacity facility will be sold exclusively to Austin Energy, operating in the city of Austin.  Renewable energy development is made easier in West Texas with region’s established network of transmission lines.

Comprehensive Energy Policy Helps All Floridians

Family at the Ocean

Brewster Bevis of the Associated Industries of Florida examines how the wrong energy policies enacted at the state and federal level can harm Florida’s families – and how the Campaign for America’s Energy can bridge the partisan discourse.

It’s time to start voicing support for common-sense policies that will benefit everyone. Not only could new and continued energy development in the region help to cultivate potential new sources of revenue, to help address the rising costs of Medicaid and state and local pension obligations, but it could also add significant energy supplies to help offset the country’s need for overseas imports.

Read more – Sun Sentinel

Wallets Stretched Thin As Bitter Cold Sends S.C. Electric Bills Soaring

Cold Winter Weather

The recent cold snap has sent energy bills soaring, busting family budgets across the country.  CEA’s David Holt discussed this recently with The Post and Courier.

The government recommends that people put 8 percent of their monthly income toward utilities, Holt said. People who are closer to the poverty level may spend 30 percent to 40 percent of their disposable income on energy, and after the winter storm, 30 jumps to 60.  That’s fundamentally unfair.

Read more – The Post and Courier

Pipeline Builders Try New Growth Strategy: Bigger Pipes

Safety Worker

Modernizing America’s energy infrastructure doesn’t always necessitate building new pipelines.  Sometimes, existing pipelines can be enhanced with new technology to become more efficient, allowing households and businesses access to additional energy to thrive.

Skipping new lines—and the environmental reviews and taking of land by eminent domain that they often require—and instead working under existing permits and rights of way is just common sense, pipeline executives say. Mr. Monaco said the expansions also minimize impacts to land and the environment in addition to being cheaper.

“Once the pipe is in the ground, you can do a lot of things: reverse flows, expand it, optimize it,” he added.

Read more – The Wall Street Journal

Consumer and Business Groups to DOI: More Access to Energy Lowers Costs, Helps Mississippi Families and Businesses

Family Preparing Food on Natural Gas Stove

JACKSON, MS – January 16, 2018 – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), a national advocate for energy consumers, and various Mississippi organizations joined together today to show support for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) proposed 2019-2024 National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program. During a press conference held near the DOI’s public meeting on the Draft Proposed Program, speakers highlighted the positive impact expanding offshore energy development in the Gulf will have on Mississippi’s families and businesses.

The following individuals provided quotes for today’s press conference:

“Lifted up by human innovation and technological advances, the energy revolution has allowed the United States to achieve continued environmental progress, demonstrating that American energy development and a healthy environment go hand-in-hand. However, without access to more areas in places like the Gulf of Mexico, these benefits could be lost to the people of Mississippi,” said Brent Greenfield, vice president for policy at CEA. “Supporting the Interior Department’s proposal to both continue and expand access to Gulf of Mexico energy will protect the long-term energy and economic security of Mississippi families and small businesses.”

Greenfield continued: “With the estimated benefits for Mississippi alone as high as 12,000 additional jobs, nearly $900 million in annual economic growth and over $1.6 billion in state revenue, expanding access to Gulf energy can help provide a major boost to Mississippi families and small businesses, especially those struggling to make ends meet, by helping to keep energy costs affordable so Mississippians have more money in their pocket to spend on critical needs like groceries, rent, saving for college, or filling a prescription. It would also give the state revenue to help provide public services and support major infrastructure projects.”

Mississippi Manufacturers Association President and CEO Jay Moon highlighted how affordable energy would benefit manufacturing and help to bring jobs to the state by saying, “In Mississippi, manufacturing is a significant source of jobs for our citizens. For every direct job in manufacturing, another two jobs are created in the economy to support that job. Affordable and reliable energy is critical to the success of the manufacturing industry in Mississippi. Ensuring a long-term and stable supply of domestic energy is a top priority for the Mississippi Manufacturers Association and we welcome the opportunity to protect and increase access to American energy resources in the Gulf of Mexico.”

Commenting on the importance of access to energy resources, Mississippi Energy Institute President Patrick Sullivan stated, “Having known U.S. energy resources accessible for production is the right policy, and this proposal gets the process started to allow for future investment and jobs in the vast offshore energy economy.”

Mississippi Economic Council President & CEO Scott Waller announced strong support for the benefits that expanding offshore energy could provide to Mississippi by adding: “The Mississippi Economic Council supports reliable, long-term energy independence that will enhance economic opportunities and job creation in Mississippi. Expanding exploration could provide numerous benefits for our state.”

With the benefits of jobs, growth, and revenue for Mississippi, the Gulf Coast Business Council President Ashley Edwards pointed out the following: “One of the great opportunities for growth in south Mississippi is the growth of the energy sector. As goes the health of the nation – our domestic energy economy – so will go the health of south Mississippi’s economy. Fundamental to that is good public policy that creates opportunities to compete for projects that will create stable, high-paying jobs specific to the region to further fuel economic growth in Mississippi. The federal proposal to not only continue but expand access to Gulf of Mexico energy would create a win-win scenario that would help secure more affordable energy for decades to come while supporting economic development opportunities that will support our coastal communities.”

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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

Would Buying an Electric Grid Really Lower Pueblo’s Costs?

Colorado River Walk in Pueblo

With low income households paying a disproportionately high share of their income on energy costs, CEA’s Emily Haggstrom looks at how the residents of Pueblo may be impacted if their city decides to buy an energy grid.

Like other city councils across the nation, Pueblo City Council members have made it very clear that they do not find high energy bills — or their contributing factors — to be acceptable. Neither does Consumer Energy Alliance…

Let’s go back to 2008, when Jefferson County public officials in Washington State voted to buy Puget Sound Energy’s electrical grid to form Jefferson Public Utility District. They did this because supporters said the investment would keep rates low and result in better, more responsive service.

While their intentions were good, fast forward three years, and customers ended up paying $30 more per month to cover unforeseen expenses than if they would have stayed with Puget Sound Energy. Customers ran into numerous billing problems and have seen drastic cuts to a program which originally helped low-income customers pay their bills. It was then when customer satisfaction hit its lowest mark, per JPUD’s own customer survey.

Read more – The Pueblo Chieftain

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