With increasing production in Texas, opportunities for an expanded petrochemical industry can occur after the construction of new pipelines.
A trio of companies hope to build a 730-mile-long crude oil and condensate pipeline from West Texas to Corpus Christi.
The so-called Epic pipeline would have a maximum capacity of 440,000 barrels per day of crude oil and condensates, a form of ultralight crude oil.
Read more – Fuel Fix
Rep. Mike Turzai, the speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, speaks out in support of the economic opportunities the Commonwealth will see if we embrace energy development and energy infrastructure.
With a renewed commitment from Washington to promote American energy production and manufacturing, which go hand in hand, Pennsylvania is poised to capitalize on these opportunities.
Energy development and pipeline infrastructure can empower us to compete and win in the 21st century. This will lead to a resurgence in manufacturing. Natural gas can fuel our manufacturing facilities, and its byproducts can be used in a variety of American-made products. Constructing these facilities will require significant work from our outstanding trades workforce.
Read more – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Your legislature is working on a law (SB 214) to keep you electric bills stable and give new options for solar power, all without unfairly raising rates.
Call your Senator today to support this commonsense legislation!
Some states continue to offer overly generous incentives for rooftop solar. This had led to “cost-shifting” onto non-solar customers – making us pay more for our electricity than we should. At the same time, solar installation no longer needs high levels of subsidies to compete. Kentucky has come up with a sensible plan to help solar continue to grow and protect your pocketbook.
Fill out the form below or contact your Senator by calling the Capitol Message Line at 1-800-372-7181. Tell them to support common-sense policies like SB 214 that can expand solar without forcing costs onto families, seniors, and people on fixed incomes.
Dear Senator,
I’m a Kentuckian concerned about my monthly energy bills. That’s why I’m asking you to support a common-sense legislation, SB 214, which will protect me from unfair rate increases while expanding new solar options for people across the Commonwealth.
I hear that many states around the country are struggling with solar incentive programs that can lead to electricity rate increases. Expanding new energy options is important, but maintaining fair rates is too – especially for those who are on fixed incomes and cannot afford to pay more.
It’s my understanding this legislation offers a path forward while also providing more solar options. The bill would create more opportunity for solar programs, protect existing solar users and set up a new process to protect households, seniors, and those on fixed incomes from having to shoulder unfair rate increases.
I urge you to support this important legislation and protect my electric bill.
Sincerely,
Consumer Energy Alliance will be co-hosting a forum on the importance of energy to northwest Colorado.
Key players in the possible renaissance of the natural gas industry in northwest Colorado will discuss how best to move ahead with development in a panel discussion Friday at Colorado Mesa University.
Read more – The Daily Sentinel
Consumer Energy Alliance’s David Holt was interviewed on the importance of expanding natural gas infrastructure in New England.
The Consumer Energy Alliance, an amalgam of industrial interests and individuals who support increased energy distribution, recently released a report saying a failure to allow expansion of gas pipelines would jeopardize almost a third of the United States’ generating capacity as other fossil fuel and nuclear plants are retired.
Pipelines, they say, are the safe alternative.
“Pipelines are the safest method of delivering gas,” energy alliance President David Holt said. “That’s been proven.”
Read more – The Sun Chronicle
Consumer Energy Alliance recently joined in signing a letter encouraging President Trump to fill the vacancies at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Warning that the recent loss of a quorum at FERC is “potentially crippling” to infrastructure development, a dozen industrial and consumer groups sent a letter Feb. 15 to President Donald Trump asking that three new commissioners be appointed to the agency as soon as possible.
Read more – SNL Financial
With New England becoming increasingly reliant on natural gas, Consumer Energy Alliance launched an initiative to educate consumers about the importance of pipeline infrastructure.
Following reports that it’s getting harder for New England utilities to warm consumers and power energy-intensive industries during frigid days when demand spikes, a consumer group today launched a campaign to inform families and businesses about what it’ll take to avoid being left in the dark: more natural gas.
Read more – MorningStar
BOSTON — Following recent reports that it’s getting harder for New England utilities to warm consumers and power energy-intensive industries during frigid days when demand spikes, a consumer group today launched a campaign to inform families and businesses about what it’ll take to avoid being left in the dark: more natural gas.
The “Power On” campaign, launched by Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), a national advocacy organization representing families, manufacturers, agriculture, transporters, distributors, energy producers, renewables and other industries, will focus on educating New Englanders about the central role energy generation and natural gas plays in their everyday lives and budget.
As part of the campaign, CEA is releasing a series of ads and videos that connect the dots on how clean natural gas is an essential – and cost-effective – ingredient in many of life’s must-haves and enjoyments. From the energy used to make beer to the electricity generation that powers our own football champions’ stadium, “Power on New England” will provide statistics and details about the various benefits natural gas infrastructure provides that New Englanders often take for granted – plus the need for a balanced energy policy going forward.
“Natural gas is a driving force behind enjoying the outdoors, watching sporting events and spending time with friends and family – all by keeping energy affordable and reliable,” said CEA President David Holt. “That’s why this campaign is more vital now than ever, especially as the region struggles to meet demand on high-energy days in the winter and consumers pay the highest retail electric rates in the U.S. We all agree that diversifying our energy mix with more renewables is a great idea, but we have to also recognize that we will need – and must have – natural gas now to keep our power on.”
Per recent data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), six of the top ten states with the highest electricity prices reside in New England with electric rates more than two-thirds higher the national average. In all, New England ratepayers have paid about $7 billion more for electricity in recent winters than those in other regions with easier access to natural gas.
And unless immediate steps are taken to upgrade and expand its bottlenecked pipeline infrastructure, electric bills could escalate further, leaving even bigger holes in families’ pockets and manufacturers’ bottom lines.
The launch comes after a recent analysis from CEA showed that New England could sustain an additional 9.5 percent electricity generation capacity shortfall by 2030 on top of the 30 percent it’s already slated to lose by 2020 if all pipeline proposals were rejected and more baseload generation options went offline. This shortfall would occur even if local renewable power capacity increased by 300 percent, per long-shot federal projections.
“While renewable energy resources are a growing and important part of the electricity mix, they alone cannot provide enough affordable and reliable energy to meet our demands,” Holt said. “In 2015, Massachusetts received just over nine percent of its power from renewable energy. It’s time to start engaging in the conversation about how we develop and diversify our energy resources, but more importantly recognize their impact on New England’s economy.”
Previous reports by the region’s non-partisan grid regulator ISO New England warned that grid reliability is being put at risk without more natural gas. “On the coldest days of the year, a significant portion of the region’s power plants can’t get the fuel they need to generate electricity,” Gordon Van Welie, CEO of ISO New England, reportedly said, adding that without more natural gas, grid managers may have to resort to ordering “controlled power outages.”
“Power On” goes live today with the launch of a website (https://consumerenergyalliance.org/poweron/), video series and information campaign that will be supported by advertising across New England. For more information visit https://consumerenergyalliance.org/poweron/ online.
PITTSBURGH – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) Mid-Atlantic Executive Director Mike Butler today released the following statement after the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection granted the final two permits needed to build the Mariner East 2 pipeline project:
“We applaud the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) approval of the remaining permits needed to begin construction on the greatly-needed project, which will reduce energy costs for households and businesses statewide while generating tax revenue, $3 billion in new private investment and more than 30,000 jobs during construction.
“Pennsylvania, much like the rest of America, is increasingly dependent on clean-burning natural gas to meet its fast-growing energy needs – and pipelines remain far and away the safest, most secure way of transporting that energy. This decision shows that Gov. Wolf, Pennsylvania’s elected leaders, and policymakers are dedicated to investing in our state’s infrastructure, alleviating its bottlenecked pipeline system, helping lower its electric rates and continuing its strong record of environmental progress. It’s a win-win, for everyone – most of all, households and retirees living on fixed incomes or below the poverty line and businesses in an array of industries who already pay too much to keep the lights on. This decision underscores the growing and continued need for more energy infrastructure across the country found in CEA’s most recent pipeline report.”
Butler recently served on Governor Tom Wolf’s Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force that studied how best to meet Pennsylvania’s pipeline and infrastructure needs.
To review a copy of CEA’s report, “Families, Communities and Finances: The Consequences of Denying Critical Pipeline Infrastructure,” click here.
