Monday, June 18, 2018

FERC Again Shows the Value of Independent Agencies to our Markets and Democracy


The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission members testified before a Senate oversight hearing on June 12 to underscore that no power grid emergency exists to warrant the Trump administration's plans to provide aid to money-losing coal plants and nuclear reactors. FERC Chairman Kevin McIntyre, a Republican appointee, said "there is no immediate calamity or threat " to the reliability of the power system. A draft U.S. Energy Department memo reported by the media on June 1 calls for the government to invoke a national security law to avert the closure of the plants, which have become uneconomic to operate in the face of historically low power prices and competition from cheap natural gas-fired generators. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should lead the way on addressing vulnerabilities to the grid, while reaffirming the "commitment to competition in wholesale markets".


Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
Tel: +1 646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

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