Current Light Flashes

On April 25, the EPA released 4 new major regulations for the electric utility industry, including a rule to cut emissions from power plants, a sweeping move that aggravates reliability concerns for electric co-ops and other utilities.

"The path outlined by the EPA is unlawful, unrealistic and unachievable," said Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Assoc. "It undermines electric reliability and poses grave consequences for an already stressed electric grid."

This rule constrains existing coal & new natural gas plants by requiring them to install carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology that is not yet reliable or commercially available.

"The new EPA rules ignore our nation's ongoing electric reliability challenges and are the wrong approach at a critical time for our nation's energy future," Matheson said.

Under the new rule, existing coal-fired power plants that plan to operate past the start of 2039 must install CCS to capture 90% of emissions by 2032. It also requires new natural gas plants that operate more than 40% of the time to install CCS & capture 90% of their carbon emissions by 2032. These standards, and their reliance on unproven CCS technology, will undermine electric reliability. Electric co-ops understand the need to keep the lights on at a cost local families & businesses can afford. Clean energy technologies must be balanced with generation sources that are always available to ensure a reliable electric grid. Lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced resolutions to overturn this rule in mid-June. It remains to be seen if they are successful in doing so.