Garbarino Leads Letter To Energy Regulator Urging Action On Pending Transmission Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-02) sent a letter to Willie Phillips, Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), urging him to finalize the Commission's pending regional transmission planning and cost allocation rule. Representatives Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY-04), Nick Langworthy (R-NY-23), and Brandon Williams (R-NY-22) cosigned the letter led by Rep. Garbarino.
This proposed rule was advance noticed in July 2021, with official notice on April 2022. This rule has been pending for over a year with the proposal seeking to remedy deficiencies in the FERC's existing regional transmission planning and cost allocation requirements.
"Improving our grid’s reliability makes it harder for our adversaries to launch widespread cyber and physical attacks, while also reducing the impact and duration of power outages due to severe weather events. Increased transmission also generates significant benefits, such as creating good-paying jobs, bolstering the availability of regional clean energy sources, connecting more energy resources of all types to the grid, and incenting domestic energy production—while also reducing energy bills by hundreds of dollars per year," the Members wrote.
Rep. Garbarino serves as Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee. He also Chairs the Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan group dedicated to building a constructive dialogue around climate and energy.
“We applaud Rep. Andrew Garbarino and his colleagues for filing this letter urging FERC to strengthen and finalize its regional transmission planning rule,” said Christina Hayes, Executive Director of Americans for a Clean Energy Grid. “If finalized, the reforms currently pending at FERC would encourage the development of well-planned high-capacity transmission. This is a major step toward increasing the reliability and resiliency of our nation’s grid, bolstering our national security, and lowering electricity costs for customers across the country.”
Read the full letter here and below:
Dear Chairman Phillips,
In your position as Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the Commission) we write to ask you to finalize the Commission's pending regional transmission planning and cost allocation rule as soon as possible. FERC has undertaken extensive work on this rule for over two years and consulted with a wide variety of stakeholders. It is now time to issue a strong final rule to meet the nation’s 21st century transmission needs.
Improving our grid’s reliability makes it harder for our adversaries to launch widespread cyber and physical attacks, while also reducing the impact and duration of power outages due to severe weather events. Increased transmission also generates significant benefits, such as creating good-paying jobs, bolstering the availability of regional clean energy sources, connecting more energy resources of all types to the grid, and incenting domestic energy production—while also reducing energy bills by hundreds of dollars per year.
The Commission’s final rule should require that transmission planners commit to long-term and forward-looking assessments of their energy mix, needs, and demands – even when that includes continued reliance on fossil fuels. FERC’s final rule should also specify economic and reliability-based benefits and incorporate state input regarding cost allocation. This should include a means of resolving disagreements and allocating costs to customers in a way that is “roughly commensurate” with benefits, in keeping with long-standing precedent.
It is time to unlock America’s energy potential and create regulatory certainty for our nation’s utility sector. A strong, meaningful, and final rule on transmission must be issued as soon as possible. We look forward to the Commission’s release of its final rule and continuing to work with you on the critical issues facing our country.
###