View this email in a web browser.
Energy Secretary, Dems Clash Over Plan to Help Coal, Nuclear
Congressional Democrats accused the Trump administration Thursday of falsely suggesting the nation’s electricity grid faces severe problems to justify an unnecessary bolstering of the coal and nuclear energy industries. Energy Secretary Rick Perry defended his department’s proposal, telling a House energy subcommittee that the country must strengthen its systems for delivering power. The plan would reward nuclear and coal-fired power plants for adding what it calls reliability to the nation’s power grid. [ read more … ]
Lawmakers grill Perry on travel, grid proposal
Lawmakers were keen on getting more information from Perry on his proposal to boost coal and nuclear by directing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to change rules in the markets it oversees. “I asked FERC to change the market rules to make sure that fuel-secure generation is valued for what it is worth to our nation — not forced into early retirement leaving the grid at risk during the next disaster,” Perry said in written testimony. [ read more … ]
Hot topics from Perry hearing, from ‘poo-poo’ to Drudge
Much of the talk centered around DOE’s proposal to boost coal and nuclear by altering energy market rules. A central question was whether there is or could be such a thing as a “free market” in energy regulation. Perry has said past federal and some state regulations have unfairly put a finger on the scales of the energy market and that his plan, which would change market rules to compensate nuclear and coal plants, is simply an act of tipping those scales back. [ read more … ]
U.S. Energy Head: Nuclear Power Rescue Helps National Security
The U.S. energy secretary defended his plan to reward nuclear plants with incentives against criticism it would manipulate markets by telling a congressional hearing on Thursday that a strong domestic nuclear industry boosted national security. Rick Perry pushed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Sept. 29 to issue a rule within 60 days that would reward aging nuclear and coal-fired power plants that store 90 days of fuel on site. He has said those plants should be supported for their ability to boost the reliability of the U.S. power grid.
[ read more … ]
Wind and Solar’s Future Hangs on Taxes, Not Clean Power Plan
The Trump administration’s decision to end the Clean Power Plan may be deeply symbolic, but the battle that matters most for renewable energy will be over taxes. Wind and solar have been the fastest growing sources of electricity in the U.S. since 2014 as utilities closed a record number of aging coal-fired generators. That’s largely because it’s become cheaper to build renewable plants than keep coal plants open. [ read more … ]
Editorial: Tariffs on Solar Panels Would Kill U.S. Jobs
By next month, the U.S. International Trade Commission, having unanimously ruledthat American solar-panel makers are harmed by competition from Asian and other rivals, will recommend what tariffs or other import penalties the president should impose. The commission and the president need to understand that punishing Asian panel makers would do more than damage trade relations: It would also cripple the thriving U.S. solar-energy business. [ read more … ]
Carbon rule or not, wind energy continues to squeeze coal
Even as President Trump repeals his predecessor’s landmark climate rule, a collision of policy and market forces is putting the squeeze on aging coal and nuclear plants. Those forces, as noted in the Department of Energy’s recent grid study, include cheap shale gas, slack electricity demand and increasing penetration of renewable energy. In the Midwest, especially, falling wind energy costs are putting increasing pressure on King Coal. [ read more … ]
The U.S. Solar Industry’s New Growth Region: Trump Country
President Donald Trump’s administration has vowed to revive the coal industry, challenged climate-change science and blasted renewable energy as expensive and dependent on government subsidies. And yet the solar power industry is booming across Trump country, fueled by falling development costs and those same subsidies, which many Republicans in Congress continue to support. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.