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Nothing Off Limits Offshore in Trump Administration OCS Drilling Plan, but Protracted Fight Expected

Offshore energy production in the Gulf of Mexico

CEA’s David Holt commented on the Trump administration’s proposed five year plan for American energy production – one of the most comprehensive plans for offshore energy exploration in decades.

The Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), a national advocate for energy consumers, cheered the draft plan. President David Holt said the proposal would expand energy development opportunities “as part of a rational, balanced, all-of-the-above energy policy” and “recognizes that American energy is critical to maintaining low energy prices for families across the nation, and for U.S. leadership for innovation and technology toward continued environmental progress.”

Read more – NGI

Balance Key in Addressing Energy Grid, Household Cost Concerns

Father and Daughter Sitting in the Kitchen with Bills

With an arctic chill gripping a substantial portion of the country, consumers will be facing higher energy bills from New England to the Mid-Atlantic.  CEA’s David Holt discusses rising energy costs and how to make energy more affordable.

We need to consider how more affordable energy produced here helps lighten the burden of families living below the poverty line; how modernizing our energy grid ensures resiliency during inclement weather; and how new materials and construction techniques can be utilized to make the production and transmission of energy even safer for our environment.

Read more – Newsmax

Boston Businesses React, Respond to Season’s First Nor’easter

Father helps his son to fasten belt on car seat

With winter in full swing, CEA’s David Holt discussed how policies enacted by state leaders have caused surging natural gas prices which harm working families and seniors.

“The price for electricity in New England has increased over 600 percent since Dec. 1st … This is a potential disaster for the working poor created by politicians.”

Read more – Boston Business Journal

Consumer Energy Alliance Applauds Interior Department’s Proposal to Expand Access to American Energy

Offshore oil rig with workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 4, 2018 – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), a national advocate for energy consumers, released the following statement after the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced their new draft proposed five-year offshore leasing plan today – which includes areas in the Arctic, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. David Holt, President of CEA, said:

“CEA applauds the Trump administration and the Department of the Interior for proposing expanded energy development opportunities as part of a rational, balanced, all-of-the-above energy policy. Today’s proposal recognizes that American energy is critical to maintaining low energy prices for families across the nation, and for U.S. leadership for innovation and technology toward continued environmental progress.

“In addition to providing tens of thousands of higher-paying jobs and adding billions of dollars to the American economy, increasing offshore production will help keep gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel prices affordable for cash-strapped families and small businesses, reduce our dependence on foreign rivals, bolster domestic exports, and enhance our energy security well into the future.

“And thanks to record advancements in safety procedures, regulations and technology, Americans can be confident that such development will be done safely and responsibly. Growing our economy and safeguarding the environment can – and do – go hand in hand. The only choice is to stop the political posturing so we can work together on real energy and environmental solutions. Today, we took a big step in doing just that.”

Over the past five years, CEA and its members have sent the Department of Interior more than 1.5 million letters business leaders, families and allied organizations nationwide in support of a sensible offshore leasing & environmental program.

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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

Consumer’s Group Urges New England Policymakers to Develop Energy Infrastructure

Winter Blizzard in the Northeast

BOSTON – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) President David Holt again urged New England policymakers to take action for working families, seniors and those living in poverty to ease energy bottlenecks and approve more pipeline infrastructure for the Northeast. Forecasters are predicting massive winter storms from Florida to Maine and compiled with the bitter cold, recent reports show, the grid is straining from tremendous demand and lack of infrastructure.

“We urge political leaders to exercise whatever authority they have to help families cope with continued electricity price spikes across New England and the Northeast,” Holt said. “The price for electricity in New England has increased over 600 percent since December 1st ($32/megawatt on Dec. 1 and $210/megawatt today) – something must be done now for those in need. This is a potential disaster for the working poor created by politicians who cared more about appeasing the unrealistic demands of anti-pipeline activists than dealing with realities of New England’s energy infrastructure problems.”

Holt added: “The repeated sober warnings of ISO – New England about the need for more pipeline capacity must be heard. For too long, many of New England’s political leaders played politics and relied on misguided claims from anti-energy activists. Now, the lack of political will is hurting families, seniors and the working poor who should remember who put them in this dire financial situation when they open up their power and heating bills – and when they enter the voting booth in November.”

What Can Families Do As the Cold Snap Stresses Our Energy Grid?

Couple relaxing by a fire

With much of the country seeing biting cold air from the Arctic, lowering temperatures to record lows, our energy grid is struggling in some areas to keep the power flowing.  Across the country there are reports of power plants having trouble getting fuel – from natural gas to oil – causing electricity prices to surge.

So what can families do to help blunt price spikes as we enter the beginning of a brutal winter? Here are some tips to save on your heating bill.

  1. Turn down the heat when no one will be home.  It may be tempting to come home to a toasty warm house, but by turning back your thermostat for 10° to 15° for 8 hours, you can save about 5% to 15% a year on your heating bill.
  2. Make sure to seal leaks and gaps in unfurnished spaces like cupboards and closets.  The same goes for chimneys and recessed lighting.
  3. If your house has a fireplace, be sure to check the snugness of the flue damper and keep it closed when not in use.  The Department of Energy also suggests that consumers “purchase grates made of C-shaped metal tubes to draw cool room air into the fireplace and circulate warm air back into the room.”
  4. Draw back the blinds on south-facing windows and take advantage of natural sunlight to heat and warm rooms during the day.
  5. Change your air filter regularly during high use times in the winter and summer. Energy Star recommends doing so at least every three months to keep from overburdening your heating and cooling system with excess dust and dirt.

Rule of Law

Woman stressed over bills

CEA’s David Holt recently discussed how the regulatory process for infrastructure construction, when used to achieve political ends, harms families and energy consumers across the country.

Bureaucrats in states like New York have purposefully thwarted the permitting process by sitting on perfunctory regulatory decisions for over a year hoping to stop development. The losers in these continued delays are the families living on fixed incomes and near the poverty line who need affordable, reliable supplies of energy.

Read more – The Houston Chronicle

Work for Achievable Energy Solutions

Child Shoveling Snow

With winter just beginning, CEA’s Mike Butler looks at the energy burden cold weather places on Pennsylvanians living below the poverty line and what can be done to alleviate increasing energy costs.

The poorest residents in Pennsylvania generally spend more than 29 percent of their take-home pay on home energy bills. In some extreme cases, it’s more than 50 percent.

Read more – The Pittsburgh Tribune

Staying Warm in This Bitter Cold Will Take a Bite Out of Your Wallet

Smart thermostat for energy efficiency and conservation

CEA Mid-Atlantic Executive Director Mike Butler recently talked about how the lack of pipelines impacts the heating bills of families in New Jersey.

The cost of natural gas in New Jersey is approximately $20 per thousand cubic feet, nearly four times the national average of $5.20, said Mike Butler, the Mid-Atlantic Director of the Consumer Energy Alliance. A big reason for the disparity in prices is the lack of pipelines in the northeast compared to places to our west, such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. “That limits the supply and drives up prices. You have this base level problem which gets exacerbated because everyone is cranking their heat.”

Read more – The Star-Ledger

Gas Pipeline Proposed From Martins Creek to Philadelphia

Family Walking in the Winter Snow

Families and businesses in Philadelphia may be in line for a reprieve from high energy bills as a result of a modernizing an existing pipeline to bring more natural gas from the western part of the state.

“By utilizing existing infrastructure, Adelphia Gateway will help meet the energy needs of a constrained marketplace with little to no impact to the environment and surrounding communities.”

Read more –

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