<[link removed]> SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER Looming US Government Shutdown Endangers Energy Transition Investment As September draws to a close, the federal government is about to draw the curtains and go into a self-imposed shutdown. Congress must pass a short-term spending bill to keep the government open past the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. Pending a miracle, the government will shut down at midnight Sunday. This will be the 15th government shutdown since 1981. Millions of federal workers and contractors nationwide will either stop work or work without pay. A government shutdown will delay billions of dollars in clean-energy incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act at a pivotal time for private-sector investment. The Treasury Department is currently writing rules for distributing the measure’s tax credits, including incentives for energy-efficient home improvements and a tax credit for manufacturers of solar panels, wind turbines, fuel cells and other clean-energy projects. All that work could stop if the government closes. A summary <epa.gov/green-power-markets/summary-inflation-reduction-act-provisions-related-renewable-energy#:~:text=The%20Inflation%20Reduction%20Act%20of,of%20new%20clean%20electricity%20resources.> of the Inflation Reduction Act provisions related to renewable energy is available on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website. The White House also published an IRA guidebook <[link removed]> with details of the incentives across all federal agencies. A shutdown would also furlough most Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff and more than half of Department of Energy employees. The U.S. Department of Energy could limp along for a while using leftover funds from last year. West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin took his legislative colleagues on both sides of the political aisle to task over their descriptions of the IRA in an op-ed in Friday’s <[link removed]> Wall Street Journal <[link removed]> . “Let me be clear: The Inflation Reduction Act isn’t a red bill or a blue bill, and it sure isn’t a green bill. It’s an American bill. It accounts for the reality that our economy and everyday Americans will rely on fossil fuels for the foreseeable future while also diversifying energy sources. The law invests in cleaner production and use of fossil fuels while also advancing energy technologies of the future. It bolsters energy security while reducing emissions, tasks that can be accomplished simultaneously if done thoughtfully. This is the United States of America; we can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Sen. Manchin writes. Well, maybe. While Congress grinds to a halt – or chokes on its gum – environmental groups want to play a more constructive role in advancing consumer choice. David Roberts over at the Volts podcast <[link removed]> recently spoke to organizer Jeff Ordower of 350.org about how the environmental movement can shift its focus from blocking what it doesn’t like to building what it does. The policy experts over at the R Street Institute <[link removed]> are out with a new report recommending competitive electricity markets <[link removed]> for advancing the energy transition. The report, Electric Paradigms: Competitive Structures Benefit Consumers <[link removed]> , recommends states pursue full restructuring of their wholesale and retail electricity markets to capitalize on private sector investment and consumer demand. Finally, if you’re looking for a way to contribute to the fight against corruption and political abuses by monopoly utilities, check out the Solar Rights Alliance's Online Auction for Solar Rights <[link removed]> to support California's Stop the Utility Tax campaign. Last year, the California Legislature passed a law <[link removed]> requiring California utility companies to charge ratepayers a new Utility Tax <[link removed]> . Now, the utilities and some other organizations are proposing to charge all ratepayers the highest Utility Tax in the country: between $400 and $1,500 per year, depending on household income. The Solar Rights Alliance is leading the charge to repeal the Utility Tax provision. Sincerely, Robert Dillon, ECC Executive Director Noteworthy Posts <[link removed]> Maryland Utilities Use Influence To Oppose Electrification Bills <[link removed]> The Energy and Policy Institute published a detailed account <[link removed]> this week of Maryland utilities abusing their ratepayers' funds to pay for political activities. Maryland utilities Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) and Washington Gas wielded their influence over county officials in recent months in an attempt to halt the implementation of local electrification policies requiring all-electric buildings in new development. In Howard County, records highlight BGE’s involvement in providing testimony and talking points for county council members for Council Bill 5 <[link removed]> , which recommends changes to county building codes to implement all-electric buildings. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Groups Challenge California's Changes To Net Metering Rule <[link removed]> San Diego public radio station KPBS reports that the Center for Biological Diversity, the Environmental Working Group, and the Protect Our Communities Foundation are challenging the California Public Utility Commission’s adoption of the new rules harming rooftop solar adoption and have asked California’s 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco to hold a hearing. The three groups are challenging the CPUC’s decision to cut the value of electricity generated from solar panels and install $15 monthly fees for residents who add solar panels to their rooftops. The CPUC voted last December to approve rules that took effect in April. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> The Real Debate is How to Best Implement Competitive Reforms—Not Whether to Pursue Them <[link removed]> A new paper from the energy experts at The R Street Institute <[link removed]> finds that full competition in electricity markets delivers the most consumer benefits. The report provides further evidence that the existing big government central planning regulatory system in most state electricity markets is impeding the energy transition and saddling consumers with higher utility bills. The paper, Electric Paradigms: Competitive Structures Benefit Consumers <[link removed]> , recommends states pursue full restructuring of their wholesale and retail electricity markets to capitalize on private sector investment and consumer demand for new products and services. “Electric competition has worked. It provides economic, reliability, environmental and governance benefits. It can work much better with stronger pro-market reforms,” the authors of the paper conclude. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Ohio Corruption Spurs Call for National Transparency Legislation <[link removed]> The Energy and Policy Institute reports <[link removed]> Ohio lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it illegal for utilities to charge their customers for political activities. The bill would introduce new transparency requirements to prevent utilities from secretly spending ratepayers’ funds on politics. The proposal comes after a wide-ranging bribery scandal that saw FirstEnergy spend $60 million in dark money and led to the conviction of the state’s speaker of the House earlier this year. Senate Bill 149 <[link removed]> is the latest in a growing trend of efforts nationwide to protect customers from footing the bill for their utilities’ political influence activities. Like the Ohio bill, Colorado <[link removed]> , Connecticut <[link removed]> , and Maine <[link removed]> all passed laws this year that prohibit utilities from charging customers for lobbying, trade association memberships, charitable contributions, advertising, and campaign contributions. Three Democratic members of Congress have also introduced the Ethics in Energy Act <[link removed]> to ban utilities from charging customers for political activities in rates approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Read More <[link removed]> What We’re Reading Right Direction Florida Supreme Court says regulators didn’t adequately justify FPL’s big rate increase <[link removed]> – Miami Herald, Sept. 28 Residential DER surges 63% in MISO, pushing distributed resources to 12.5 GW <[link removed]> – Utility Drive, Sept. 26 Analysis: <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Teeing up Congressional Grid Reliability <[link removed]> – R Street Institute, Sept. 25 Rooftop solar smashes records, sends coal and demand to record lows as it reshapes the grid <[link removed]> – Renew Economy, Sept. 17 Record-setting RE+ 2023 shows how U.S. solar industry is going mainstream <[link removed]> – Solar Builder, Sept. 18 It makes no sense to eliminate the competitive electricity market <[link removed]> – Commonwealth Magazine, Sept. 16 Competitive power markets are cleaner, cheaper and safer <[link removed]> – Utility Drive, Sept. 15 Utility Monopoly vs. Deregulated Energy: Which is better for you? <[link removed]> – CNET, Sept. 15 Home Power Devices Are Key to Solving US Power Woes, US Energy Official Says <[link removed]> – Bloomberg, Sept. 14 California appeal to CPUC net metering rule <[link removed]> – KPBS News, Sept. 14 Virginia solar alliance hopeful after regulators suspend new interconnection rules <[link removed]> – Energy News Network, Sept. 8 Solar installations in 2023 expected to exceed 30 GW for the first time in history <[link removed]> – SEIA, Sept. 7 Thinking about solar? New co-op kicks off in Broward to provide info, get best group rate <[link removed]> – South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sept. 7 In unexpected move, New Hampshire utilities voice support for solar net metering <[link removed]> – Energy News Network, Sept. 6 Wrong Direction Renewable Energy Is Reckoning With Its Perception in Rural America <[link removed]> – CNET, Sept. 29 WESH 2 Investigates: Duke Energy customer faces large jump in electric bill <[link removed]> – Florida’s WESH TV News, Sept. 26 PJM plan for distributed energy aggregations would block virtual power plants: Tesla <[link removed]> – Utility Drive, Sept. 25 Lawmakers urged to ban retail energy suppliers <[link removed]> – Massachuttes Eagle-Tribune, Sept. 20 Analysis: Paying to warm the planet. Corrupt utility law forces Ohioans to make climate worse <[link removed]> – Ohio Capital Journal, Sept. 19 How a utility’s silent spending to control energy policy might determine abortion rights in Florida <[link removed]> – Orlando Sentinel, Sept. 15 Audit into FirstEnergy subsidiaries expected to be complete by end of year <[link removed]> – West Virginia Watch, Sept. 8 Clean Energy Groups Protest NYISO DER Proposal <[link removed]> – RTO Insider, Sept. 7 Duke Energy Progress rate hike order also cuts rooftop solar payments for businesses <[link removed]> – WFAE NPR, Sept. 5 The fight over California community solar: ‘It’s everyone vs. utilities’ <[link removed]> – Canary Media, Sept. 5 JD Vance is one of the top recipients of oil and gas money. Now he’s shilling for their interests <[link removed]> – Ohio Capital Journal, Sept. 5 Upcoming Events Forum Looks at State-Level Clean Energy – The Clean Energy States Alliance holds an event <[link removed]> on Tuesday, October 3rd at 2 p.m. on financing clean energy at the state level. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants certain clean energy projects supported by State Energy Financing Institutions, including those using commercially available technologies like wind and solar, access to DOE’s Loan Program Office financing. Energy Efficiency Day Set – On Wednesday, October 4th, the Alliance to Save Energy, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, U.S. Green Building Council and others host the 8th annual Energy Efficiency Day <[link removed]> to showcase the benefits of energy efficiency. Each year, EE Day has drawn increasing support and, in 2023, the organizers aim to surpass last year’s 1,049 supporters sign on from local governments, utilities, organizations, companies, and utilities, and 47 cities, counties, states, or universities issued proclamations in support of EE Day as well as the U.S. Senate. Subscribe to Newsletter <[link removed]> The Energy Choice Coalition's mission is to promote consumer-first policies that lead to greater competition and choice in retail electricity markets. We stand up for free-market principles against a legacy monopoly system that has outlived its usefulness and is impeding the transition to a cleaner, more affordable electricity system. Email us to join the coalition for energy freedom or learn more about the benefits of competition: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> . <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Energy Choice Coalition 25 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 820 Washington, DC 20001 United States Powered by Squarespace <[link removed]> Unsubscribe <[link removed]>