As policymakers at all levels of government grapple with the global energy crunch and look for ways to transition to a lower-carbon energy grid, they need to focus on market-based solutions.
We’ve already seen that competition is the best way to achieve the energy future that customers want – one that fosters innovation, combats climate change, promotes reliability, and drives down prices. Competitive markets – not monopolies – should be the path forward.
The Biden administration’s ambitious goal of running America’s economy on 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035 is accelerating the shift to renewable energy and sparking a debate among policymakers over how best to encourage the clean energy transition without having costs fall entirely on consumers.
While the war of words between the fossil fuel and renewables camps has garnered the lion’s share of the attention, less has been paid to the importance of modernizing transmission infrastructure and the role of competition in incentivizing investment in a cleaner, more efficient and affordable power system.
Ohio’s elections chief has filed a complaint with the state Elections Commission accusing former House Speaker Larry Householder of campaign violations.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s complaint alleges his fellow Republican, Rep. Larry Householder (R-Glenford), received $32,000 in excess or improper campaign donations. That includes $1,000 from Juan Cespedes, a lobbyist for FirstEnergy Solutions who has pleaded guilty in a $61-million-dollar bribery case connected to Ohio’s nuclear bailout law. Householder has pleaded not guilty to charges in that alleged bribery scheme. Four other unnamed donors were also part of this complaint for exceeding campaign finance limits.
This isn't the first time LaRose has filed an elections complaint against Householder. Last summer, LaRose filed 162 campaign-finance charges against Householder, Cespedes, lobbyist Neil Clark and former Ohio Republican Party chairman Matt Borges - who are all also charged in that case.
FirstEnergy and FirstEnergy Solutions donated more than $1 million to nonprofit groups and political campaigns since 2017 to help elect Gov. Mike DeWine, according to a Dayton Daily News investigation into Ohio’s HB 6. In July, federal prosecutors charged former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four others with racketeering, alleging they ran a nearly $61 million bribery scheme using undisclosed political money to position Householder as speaker and then pass and defend a $1.3 billion bailout law. While FirstEnergy and FirstEnergy Solutions aren’t specifically named in court documents, the descriptions identify those companies as alleged participants in the scheme and the utility has said it is working with investigators.
Arizona lawmakers are trying to strip the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) of its authority to require investor-owned utilities to generate a portion of the state’s power with renewable energy. House Bill 2248 and its Senate companion would bar the commission from adopting or enforcing any new policy, decision or rule that regulates the electric generation resources without specific legislative authorization. And the measure, sponsored by Rep. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, provides no such authority.
As the race transitions into the general election, it is clear Dominion’s incentive to corrupt Ayala and other lawmakers has no limits. With dark money influencing lawmakers’ ability to fund their campaigns, their obvious reliance on the funding has no other option to influence their decisions once in office. The clear and obvious solution is competitive markets.
Major monopoly utilities — Duke Energy, Southern Company, the Tennessee Valley Authority — are attempting to team up to increase their stronghold over the Southeast energy market by creating the Southeast Energy Exchange Market (SEEM). Despite this flawed proposal already being rejected by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in May, SEEM resubmitted their proposal in an attempt to form a centralized energy exchange market. The continued attempts fail to provide what Southeast consumers need most: real energy choice in a truly free market.
In Illinois, a bill that could provide $1 billion to Exelon in subsidies over five years could change how rates are structured for utility ratepayers. A change of this nature would open the door to expanding renewable infrastructure and creating consumer choice, signaling a potential major win against monopoly utilities.
This technology harnesses the ability for grid operators to meet over 25 percent of peak power demand by 2030, but faces major challenges due to utility monopolies’ policies. In the U.S., many consumers are unable to take advantage of this innovative technology because utilities block consumers from doing so. It underscores the need to unleash the power of competition and provide consumers the opportunity to not only choose their provider but also to generate and sell their own energy.
Recently, a spotlight has been shined on the future of nuclear power plants after two Dominion Energy reactors in Virginia received 20-year renewal licenses, despite the plants’ inability to meet clean energy goals while costing consumers more money than alternatives. The issue is representative of a narrative all too familiar: major utility monopolies stifle innovation, prevent competition, and cost consumers more money.
Don’t miss a beat. Here are Wednesday, June 2nd’s stories you should read:
With the PJM capacity auction results coming this week, expect headlines countering a renewables trend. Under the MOPR developed by the Trump administration, gas and some coal plants are expected to clear the auction and gain another round of survival.
Don’t miss a beat. Here are Friday, May 28th’s stories you should read:
Former chief of staff to House Speaker Michael Madigan charged with lying to federal grand jury in ComEd probe (Chicago Tribune)
Hundreds of thousands of utility customers facing shut-offs (NJ Spotlight)
Connecticut looks to join seven other US states in setting energy storage target (Energy Storage)
Don’t miss a beat. Here are Thursday, May 27th’s stories you should read:
U.S. senators set to introduce nuclear power credit in energy tax reform bill (Reuters)
Former chief of staff to House Speaker Michael Madigan charged with lying to federal grand jury in ComEd probe (Chicago Tribune)
Tenaska files complaint with FERC against SPP, alleging $66M overcharge on wind interconnection (Utility Dive)
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request demonstrates the Tenessee Valley Authority, the largest public utility in the nation, used funds for unauthorized activities including paying a law firm, according to four environmental organizations. The groups have asked the TVA Office of Inspector General to investigate the matter.
Check out more on this story below.
The Illinois legislature’s session ends at the end of the month, and the best hope for renewable advocates appears to be Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Consumers and Climate First Act. If passed, the bill is less robust than the Clean Energy Jobs Act but would eliminate coal-fired power by 2030 and natural gas by 2045.
With the deadline quickly approaching, familiarize yourself below with the latest in Illinois with this excerpt from PV Magazine.
