Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Tell the Federal Energy Regulation Commission: No handouts for coal and nuclear power

The petition to the Federal Energy Regulation Commission reads:
"Rick Perry's proposal to bail out coal and nuclear power would increase energy bills, harm public health and threaten the transition to clean, safe renewable energy. Do not adopt any rules to prop up dying industries at the cost of our future."
Add your name:
Sign the petition ►
Rick Perry has come up with a creative new way to bail out failing coal and
nuclear plants – by forcing electricity customers to pay for them.
As Trump's Secretary of Energy, Perry has proposed a new rule that would actually require customers to subsidize certain coal and nuclear plants, guaranteeing their profits.1 Worried that cheaper, cleaner and safer forms of energy are beating out their favorite industries, Trump and Perry want the Federal Regulatory Commission (FERC) to stack the decks. We must let FERC know that this is unacceptable.
To justify his plan, Perry is claiming that coal and nuclear power are necessary to make sure the electricity grid stays reliable. But his own agency released a study just months ago concluding that closing coal and nuclear plants has not threatened grid reliability, and neither has the increased use of renewable energy.2 In reality, the main threat to our electricity grid is its aging infrastructure – but forcing customers to prop up unprofitable power plants will do nothing to help with that.
FERC is the independent expert agency in charge of managing the electricity grid, and ultimately FERC commissioners will decide on Perry's proposal. A bipartisan group of eight former FERC commissioners wrote a letter opposing Perry's plan. They said that it won't help with grid reliability but will cost customers more and disrupt energy markets.3
Not only would Perry's proposed rule lead to higher energy bills and more dangerous pollution, it would increase the chances of catastrophic climate change. In a year when climate-fueled storms and wildfires have already left thousands of Americans homeless, we should be investing in the cleanest, most affordable energy sources available. We cannot let Trump and Perry stop our progress to renewable energy.
Tell the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: Reject Rick Perry's plan to bail out coal and nuclear plants. Click the link below to sign the petition:
- Brandy Doyle, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets
Add your name:
Sign the petition ►
References:
  1. David Roberts, "Rick Perry’s plan to subsidize coal and nuclear plants is bonkers," Vox, Oct. 4, 2017
  2. Ibid.
  3. Steven Mufson, "Bipartisan group of former FERC commissioners rejects energy secretary’s bid to help coal plants," The Washington Post, Oct. 19, 2017.

No comments:

Post a Comment