A step in a good direction

Maybe someone has been reading my pleas over the last few years?

They may have done steps 1 and 2, but number 3 is just a convoluted transfer from ratepayers to selected special interests.

When the Delaware General Assembly returns from its budget break in March, they will have two additional bills to consider, according to Senator Gerald Hocker and Rep. Bryan Shupe.

The pair summarized the need for the measure, commenting on extremely high Delmarva Power bills brought on by unusually cold and snowy weather in these parts - as we stare at a polar vortex and the possibility of another foot few inches of snow tonight and tomorrow.

Delawareans are facing an unsustainable rise in electricity rates, placing an undue financial burden on families and businesses. We and our colleagues have heard from countless constituents pleading for relief, and we are committed to taking action.

After meeting with stakeholders in the energy sector, it has become clear that Delaware’s green energy mandates, including its participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), are a significant factor driving up costs. These policies, while well-intended, are having unintended consequences, forcing Delaware to import electricity at higher costs while discouraging traditional energy investments within our state.

New Hampshire recognized this burden and took decisive action by redirecting RGGI revenues back to ratepayers. We are introducing legislation (Senate Bill 64) to do the same in Delaware. Rather than funneling millions of dollars into government-controlled programs, we should return these funds to the people who paid them, providing much-needed relief to families and businesses struggling with high energy bills.

If this measure fails, we will introduce legislation to withdraw Delaware from RGGI altogether (Senate Bill 65). While reducing emissions is a shared goal, it should not come at the expense of affordability and reliability. Delawareans should not be forced to shoulder ever-increasing costs while our state government continues imposing mandates that make energy more expensive. (Emphasis mine.)

I wish these measures already had the text with them - as of this writing, the state has only put Senate Bills 1-52 online - but once SB64 fails (and it will, because the state likes to have control over how it redistributes its wealth) - there needs to be an all-out push on SB65, like people on the streets. It actually makes me wonder if, as a ratepayer, I have legal standing to sue the state to force a withdrawal from RGGI.

First of all, Step 1 as illustrated above favors inefficient and expensive means of electrical generation (wind and solar) over tried-and-true, reliable means such as natural gas, coal, and nuclear - things we have in abundance. Taking proven technology offline in favor of capricious sources is part of the reason Delmarva Power is in the fix that it’s in. To work around this, a pseudo-governmental agency created Step 2, which is a little bit like creating a market for baseball cards by mandating everyone collect them. Someone gets the Paul Skenes rookie card and I end up with some late-issue Mario Mendoza, after whom the Mendoza Line is named.

Of course, then we have Step 3, which Hocker, Shupe, et. al. want to be expressed as straight up payments to ratepayers in the form of bill relief instead of how the state chooses to use them. But money in the utilities’ pockets can go to building (or reopening) more efficient power plants here in Delaware rather than be spent on an artificial carbon market someone created (and mandated) to make a profit.

So to place a true definition of how RGGI works up there would be to have a hand reaching into ratepayers’ pockets, then handing it to some government middleman who snags his share then listens to the lobbyists representing all the special interests who want a share of that largesse. The last slide would be the money disappearing into that chasm of government, never to be seen again unless you are a favored constituent. As George Carlin would say, “it’s a big club, and you ain’t in it!”

I’m highly doubtful the two bills will go anywhere; in fact, I’m sure those who run the General Assembly won’t even try and get them out of committee so there’s no recorded vote on them. But the idea is there - now it’s time to make it a grassroots groundswell and start crashing that big club.

In the meantime, though, you can Buy Me a Coffee, since I have a page there now.