At today's House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) questioned Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm about a letter relating to changes to a deactivation of a power unit.
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 And I yield back.
00:01 The gentleman yields back.
00:02 Chair now recognizes Mr. Perry from Pennsylvania.
00:05 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:06 Secretary, I appreciate you being here answering questions for us.
00:10 I've got a letter here from the PJM regarding the Brandon Shores Power Facility in Anne
00:17 Arundel County.
00:19 And I'm just going to read from it.
00:20 According to the PJM Interconnection spokesman, the PJM region and the state of Maryland are
00:26 facing future reliability challenges as a result of the announced retirement of Brandon
00:30 Shores units.
00:31 Specifically, PJM analysis showed that the deactivation of the Brandon Shores unit would
00:37 cause severe voltage drop and thermal violations across seven PJM zones, which would lead to
00:44 widespread reliability risk in Baltimore and the immediate surrounding area.
00:48 So let me make that plain for everybody.
00:51 Brandon Shores, owned by Talon Energy, has entered into an agreement with the Sierra
00:56 Club to not produce power.
01:00 And so the PJM, which operates in multiple states and schedules the power from various
01:07 facilities, is asking that that agreement be held in abeyance until a reliable source
01:17 can be built.
01:20 But they're not going to do that.
01:21 The only thing that's going to save Baltimore from blacking out, from going without power,
01:28 right, is an emergency designation from the Secretary and the Department of Energy.
01:36 There's not enough time, even if we wanted to build it.
01:39 And we don't.
01:40 And let me be clear here.
01:41 The alternative is that Pennsylvania, where I live, provides the power and our land is
01:49 taken by eminent domain to send the power to Baltimore, who has a perfectly functioning
01:55 power plant right now in Anne Arundel County.
01:58 But because of the agreement, they're going to shut it down.
02:01 So my two questions to start with for this are, is the Department of Energy in support
02:06 of these type of agreements between the Sierra Club like this, between the Sierra Club and
02:11 Talon Energy to shut down plants, number one?
02:14 And number two, are you committed to the emergency declaration that's going to be required when
02:20 the plant shuts down for over a million customers to have power and live in the 21st century?
02:25 Well, I'm not familiar with that agreement.
02:27 I'd have to take a look at it.
02:29 We certainly want to make sure that power stays on and that we add additional power
02:34 to make sure that there's enough for people.
02:36 So that's why we're working so hard to ensure that we are deploying energy solutions.
02:40 OK, well, ma'am, I have the letter.
02:41 I assure you it is real.
02:43 And it is dated December 5th of 2023.
02:47 So it's not new.
02:48 It's not a new concept.
02:50 This is coming.
02:52 And so assuming let's just do it this way.
02:54 I don't want to assume on your behalf, but assuming this is valid, you can see the logo
02:59 up there will have it entered into the record.
03:00 I'll stake my reputation on what the PJM has offered.
03:04 Assuming that that is correct, are you willing to commit to an emergency declaration so that
03:10 the lights and the power can stay on for a million customers?
03:14 It's going to require the Department of Energy.
03:16 Yeah, we're always willing to exercise emergency authority if lights are going out.
03:22 Is it do you think it's fair that the people of Pennsylvania have to watch their land chewed
03:27 up to send power to Baltimore when they've got a perfectly well operating facility?
03:33 Is that fair that we do that?
03:35 And the facility can be transitioned.
03:37 It's coal now.
03:38 I know everybody hates coal.
03:39 I do not.
03:40 But a lot of people do.
03:42 I'm sure there are scrubbers on the plant and the and the requirements just keep on
03:46 increasing such that the plant can no longer remain viable economically under the conditions
03:52 that the federal government has set.
03:55 But is it fair that Pennsylvania then has to provide the power and the transmission
04:00 across its land for Baltimore?
04:02 I think there are other solutions, though.
04:03 I think that the I think there are two.
04:05 And I hope we can pursue them.
04:07 I hope we can pursue them.
04:08 I appreciate that, Madam Secretary.
04:11 In the little bit of time I have left, Representative Biggs talked about the loss of money to the
04:19 car companies.
04:20 Ford is delaying introduction of its all new electric SUV.
04:25 It lost one hundred and thirty thousand on every EV.
04:28 The division will lose five point five billion in twenty twenty four.
04:32 Tesla saw an eight point five percent decline in deliveries.
04:35 GM lost one point seven billion in Q4 of twenty twenty three.
04:41 This is all happening at taxpayer expense.
04:44 The increase in EV usage and sales is wholly by the federal government.
04:49 Right.
04:50 It's not because the private sector private sector is actually declining.
04:53 And so with that, while you're here as a current cabinet secretary, would you commit to saying
05:00 on the record that you will not support a bailout of the car companies once we bankrupt
05:05 them, once these policy bank policy?
05:08 That's where we're headed, ma'am.
05:09 We've already done this before.
05:10 It cost us eighty one billion in twenty fourteen.
05:13 What will you commit to today regarding the car companies are going to go bankrupt based
05:17 on these requirements from the federal car companies?
05:19 Do not say they are going bankrupt when they do.
05:22 They are.
05:23 They are excited about the trajectory of electric.
05:26 They don't seem excited to me from.
05:29 They are continuing with their plans.
05:31 They may have slowed them a little, but they are continuing with their plans because they're
05:34 forced to by the federal government because there's a 30 percent increase year over year
05:37 in demand for electric fuel only by the federal government, ma'am, by individuals out there
05:42 who want to save money as they drive.
05:44 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
05:45 And gentlemen, time's expired before I recognize Miss Bush.
05:49 Did you have something, gentlemen, you were wanting to enter into the record?
05:53 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
05:54 I'd like to enter this order from the PJM to a must produce power to Brandon Shores
05:59 and Allen Energy without objection to order.
06:01 Chair recognizes Ms. Bush from Missouri. Thank you Mr. Chairman.