OPINION:
President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in November creates an opportunity to refocus U.S. energy policy, including the executive branch’s approach to the electric sector. His announcements and recent appointments indicate a strong desire to take a welcome new approach — one that doesn’t sacrifice reliability and leave Americans in the dark.
America is at an energy crossroads, and the electric grid’s reliability hangs in the balance. Critical generation resources are being retired faster than they can be reliably replaced. At the same time, electricity demand is surging as power-hungry data centers and new manufacturing plants come online. Smart energy policies that keep the lights on are more important than ever.
In his Sept. 5 speech, Mr. Trump promised to issue an emergency declaration “to achieve a massive increase in domestic energy supply” and swiftly approve “new drilling, new pipelines, new refineries, and new power plants and reactors.”
He’s already making good on that promise.
Right out of the gate, the president-elect’s choice to lead the Department of Energy, Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright, expressed a commitment to “making American energy more affordable, reliable, and secure.”
Likewise, his selection of North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as interior secretary and chair of the new National Energy Council signals his intent to make energy policy work for Americans and an explicit pledge to dramatically increase always-available baseload power.
This approach is exactly what America’s energy future demands.
America’s electric cooperatives deliver reliable and affordable power to some of the country’s most rural, rugged and hard-to-reach areas. Our vision for America’s energy future hinges on three things that complement the incoming administration’s priorities: addressing skyrocketing demand, removing regulatory burdens and promoting the long-term well-being of rural communities.
In other words, energy policies that put people first by keeping the lights on at a price they can afford.
As we work to solidify this future for the 42 million Americans we serve, we urge the incoming administration to take bold, concrete action in its first 100 days, including steps to:
Prioritize electric reliability and affordability for Americans coast to coast.
The administration should engage the Department of Energy and other key agencies to bolster the nation’s long-term reliability of its grid. Federal agencies have stonewalled necessary improvements to our power grid for too long, boosting the risk of blackouts and raising energy prices. This includes the Environmental Protection Agency, which overzealously regulates the electric sector.
The EPA’s power plant greenhouse gas rule should be reversed. In addition, the Trump administration should halt efforts to breach the Lower Snake River Dams, which provide an essential source of reliable and affordable power in the Pacific Northwest.
Reform the federal permitting system so that electricity can be delivered where we need it when we need it. The nation’s outdated permitting laws must be overhauled with an eye toward the scale and scope of the infrastructure necessary to meet tomorrow’s energy needs. This means eliminating excessive regulatory burdens and ensuring more predictable and timely decisions from federal agencies. The National Environmental Policy Act is particularly egregious. Enacted more than 50 years ago, this antiquated law has been used to block critical electric infrastructure projects and desperately needs significant reform.
Improve federal wildfire protections. A spark takes just a few seconds to ignite a wildfire that levels hundreds of homes, destroys thousands of forest acres and cuts power to millions. Yet it can take the federal government years to approve an electric cooperative’s request to repair one piece of equipment or remove a single tree that could spark another blaze.
Federal land management agencies must swiftly eliminate red tape that impedes wildfire mitigation efforts. For example, expediting approvals for right-of-way maintenance on public lands could go a long way in reducing serious wildfire hazards.
This is a critical moment for our nation. We can put our country’s abundant energy resources to work, or we can continue down a reckless path that weakens the grid, raises costs and threatens Americans with blackouts. Now is the time for true energy leadership. We’re eager to see all what Mr. Trump can accomplish in the name of American energy in the opening days of his administration.
• Jim Matheson is CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing nearly 900 electric cooperatives. He served seven terms as a U.S. representative from Utah.
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