EmPower Consumers Praises Public Service Commissioners for Stance on Renewable Portfolio Standards
Cites increased cost for consumers under and RPS mandate and carbon cap-and-trade
WASHINGTON – EmPower Consumers today praised the public service and public utility commissioners in ten states for a joint letter to Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House energy and Commerce Committee that called for a balance between federal energy policy and the direct impact on consumers, state economies and business.
The joint letter, signed by the public service commissioners in Ala., Ark., Ga., La., Miss., Mo., N.C., S.C. and W. Va., and the public utility commissioner in Tex., urges Congress to ensure that the transition to a low-carbon economy does not result in burdensome costs to consumers and does compromise the reliability of service.
“I am pleased that so many public service and public utility commissioners have expressed their concern about a federal RPS,” Bassett said referring to the joint letter. “As these commissioners have said, a one-size-fits-all national mandate could have unintentional consequences that could harm consumers and our economy.”
“The federal renewable portfolio standard currently being considered by Congress will drive energy costs up for residential consumers, businesses, hospitals, schools and farms,” said Daryl Bassett, head of Empower Consumers. “Congress must fully consider how these policies will directly impact consumers – we have a right to know.”
“We at Empower Consumers agree with Congress’ noble goal to protecting the environment, but national polices must ensure that reaching this goal doesn’t come at unnecessary burdens to American families, American businesses and our economy,” concluded Bassett.
A copy of the multi-signature letter from the utility commissioners can be found on the website for EmPower Consumers, www.empowerconsumers.org.
Empower Consumers is a membership organization established to address consumer interests in the context of energy and environmental legislation.
EmPower testifies before U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce
"EMPOWER CONSUMERS" COALITION CALLS FOR SMART SOLUTIONS TO AMERICA'S PRESSING ENERGY NEEDS
Washington, DC – Declaring "now is the time" for a common-sense approach to our nation's energy challenges, a broad-based group of consumers, small businesses and former government officials called on policymakers to embrace long-term, pragmatic energy policies that take into account the needs of all Americans. The group, Empower Consumers, represents members from all regions of the country whose livelihoods are directly impacted by rising energy costs.
"Now is the time for Americans to come together to find pragmatic solutions to our climate change and energy challenges without unduly harming consumers and businesses," said coalition spokesman Daryl Bassett, former Public Utility Commissioner of the state of Arkansas. "We applaud Congress for taking on these crucial challenges, but at a time of severe economic crisis it is essential to keep energy costs affordable for the millions of small businesses that employ the majority of U.S. workers. Energy costs also represent a hidden tax on the poorest Americans — single-parent families, minority communities, senior citizens, those living on fixed incomes — who already spend roughly one-quarter of their after-tax income on energy."
Bassett continued, "In our quest to tackle these tough challenges, a number of good policy ideas have already come forward. We strongly support building out a smart electricity-grid that adapts to consumer needs and is sensitive to the needs of new applications and technologies. We also agree that it's important to include offset provisions that encourage us to find a variety of ways to remove CO2 from the air, as well as to streamline our country's maze of overlapping environmental rules."
Empower Consumers intends to engage in serious dialogue in favor of a responsible approach to energy policy reform that seeks to safeguard our nation's ecomony while educating others on the risks of prematurely embracing overly ambitious, rapid-fire policy prescriptions. With respect to the curent discussion draft on energy and climate change legislation pending before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Empower Consumers believes the bill must:
- Have real and effective cost containment provisions;
- Address the needs of consumers equally in all regions of the country;
- Encourage the development of technology that will address consumer needs responsibly into the future;
- Avoid unacceptable international pressures that undermine American jobs.
"The size and complexity of the challenges we face call for smart, long-term solutions rather than ideas that impose big costs on the backs of Americans," continued Bassett. "Cap and trade proposals may help create a new group of 'green traders' on Wall St., but they can also drive up the costs of energy for Main St. business owners of everything from grocers to small manufacturers and make it more difficult for our schools and hospitals to meet their tight budgets. On top of that, renewable energy mandates would remove the very flexibility that is touted under a cap-and-trade system, while unfairly punishing entire states – often among the poorest in the country – that were not blessed with near-constant wind and sunshine."
"We must ensure that the livelihoods of the most vulnerable among us are not jeopardized by a well-intentioned stampede to a green future," concluded Bassett. "The notion of boosting our economy by creating green jobs might sound appealing, but not if it comes at the cost of pink slips for American workers."