June 19, 2017
By:
Walter G. Wright
Category:
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
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The Southern Environmental Law Center and 20 other organizations (collectively “SELC”) sent a June 5th letter to Secretary Rick Perry of the United States Department of Energy (“DOE”) addressing an April 14th memorandum titled:
Study Examining Electricity Markets and Reliability (“Study”)
A link to the Study can be found here. https://s3.amazonaws.com/dive_static/paychek/energy_memo.pdf
SELC’s June 5th letter to Secretary Perry is stated to be intended to provide their perspective on the Study being undertaken by DOE. The organizations state:
Your memo puts significant emphasis on “baseload” energy resources, specifically citing coal, natural gas, nuclear, and hydroelectric. It raises the concern that regulatory burdens on “baseload” power and subsidies on other forms of energy may create problems for maintaining the reliability of the grid.
SELC expresses concern that the memorandum presents a “one-sided perspective that fixates on perceived threats to traditional energy resources and ignores the benefits Americans are receiving from our nation’s clean energy resources.” It requests that the Department of Energy “engage in a transparent, fact-based analysis of these issues – one that allows for robust participation by interested stakeholders, including opportunities for the public to weigh in on any draft and final reports.”
SELC asks that DOE staff consider:
- Local, Renewable Resources like Solar Strengthen the Grid and Enhance National Security
- America’s Electric Grid Can Integrate Large Amounts of Resources like Wind and Solar – Much More than we currently have on the Grid
- Baseload Power Plants are Becoming Less Economic due to Market Forces, not Subsidies for Clean Energy
- Clean energy Resources Create Jobs and Energy Independence in the South and Across the Nation
A copy of the June 5th letter can be downloaded here.
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