Statement to PA Senate Republicans on PJM

PA Senate Republicans recently submitted a letter to regional electrical grid operator PJM calling on the organization to support an "all of the above" energy strategy by actually putting in writing a lot of lies about renewable energy and battery storage. 

That leaves us wondering…What exactly do Senate Republicans think “all of the above” energy means? So, we want to ask Senate Republicans the following:

 

You, Senate Republicans, state: “Why are [renewables] dependent upon soon-to-be-expiring federal subsidies?” 

Aside from the fact that solar is cheaper than gas even without subsidies… The fossil fuel industry can’t seem to operate without billions of tax payer dollars in subsidies and tax credits. 

• $4 billion in tax credits in FY 2019.
• $2 billion in tax credits in 2022. 
• $388 million just for waste coal. 

Why are you okay with billions in subsidies for gas but not solar? 

 

You, Senate Republicans, state: “Pursuing the policies [for renewable energy ] would result in moving baseload energy projects, namely natural gas, coal, and potentially nuclear (small modular reactors) — to the back of the line.” 

Oh, you mean that queue where PJM has 2,000 shovel-ready renewable energy projects that have been waiting for a decade? Exactly how many years will it take to build a new gas-fired plant? 5 or 7 years? Are gas turbines being made any faster these days? If the renewables are already at the front of the line in PJM because they’ve been waiting so long for approval, aren’t you really arguing that projects you like should get to jump the line? What happened to not picking winners and losers?

 

You, Senate Republicans, state: “PJM should prioritize projects based on their capacity factor to operate and deliver energy to the grid.” 

Solar is ready now — and before you say “intermittent power” — you do know about batteries, right? Solar energy is also easy to predict and model for when the systems will be producing energy. Unlike fracked gas which fails exactly when we need it most.

 

These senators attempt to undermine the affordability of renewable energy by pointing towards the federal subsidies offered by the previous administration. Never mind that trusted analyses have found solar is cheaper than gas generation, even without subsidies. The same cannot be said for fracked gas generation.

Historically, Pennsylvania's legislators have offered billions of dollars in tax breaks–in other words subsidies–to support expensive, dirty fossil fuel. Just last month, we shared with the PA House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee that as much as $388 million of tax payer dollars is being paid in subsidies for a handful of small dirty waste coal facilities. And that’s just the beginning.

Lawmakers gifted the fracked gas industry nearly $4 billion in tax credits in FY 2019. That's $4 billion of our tax dollars given to one of the dirtiest industries that threatens the health and safety of Pennsylvania communities. While fracked gas companies received subsidies at the expense of taxpayers, they also imposed dangerous pollution upon our communities, adding up to roughly $11.1 billion in the form of environmental remediation and health care costs for Pennsylvanians to pay. 

Instead of parroting the talking points of one of the most economically disappointing and environmentally disastrous industries, our elected representatives should be working in the best interests of Pennsylvanians. That means working to lower energy costs by diversifying our energy portfolio with–yes–the cheapest, cleanest, and fastest to deploy resources: renewables. We need leadership to modernize our energy grid and portfolio for the benefit of current communities and future generations by embracing 21st century technologies. 

Pennsylvanians are experiencing an affordability crisis. A recent report from the US Energy and Information Administration revealed that the average Pennsylvanian's electricity bill in July was $212. That means that just one utility is costing households as much as 3.27% of the monthly median income.  This is no time for lawmakers to feign concern over energy subsidies. With renewable energy making up only 5% of Pennsylvania’s energy portfolio, now is the time to deploy cheap and shovel-ready renewable energy generation to diversify and add energy to our grid to ensure reliability as we experience more and more extreme weather events.

We need leadership that listens to market forces and is willing to promote clean energy innovation, pushing Pennsylvania towards a 21st century economy that works for everyone, not just tech billionaires and fossil fuel companies.

Sources:

PF_FossilFuel_Report_final_2.12.21.pdf

Form EIA-923

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