Scott Perry Asks EPA Administrator Regan To Promise Him That Energy Prices Won't Increase Beyond 1%

3 months ago

At a House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) questioned EPA Administrator Michael Regan about the price of energy in the United States.

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00:00Thank you, Madam Chair. Just out of curiosity, since one of my colleagues from the other

00:05side of the aisle brought it up, I do wonder if the then-senior senator from Delaware,

00:10now the President of the United States, ever challenged DuPont's production and prolific

00:17distribution of PFAS and PFOA. Just curious.

00:20But I need to talk to you, Administrator. Welcome, about Pennsylvania. My bosses, the

00:26people that I represent, complain to me nearly daily about their electricity prices. And

00:32I'm sure you know that grid operators around the country are sounding alarm about the potential

00:37disruptions, blackouts, brownouts, due to regulations, particularly the Clean Power

00:42Plan 2.0 rule.

00:44As a matter of fact, the PJM Interconnect, the largest multistate grid operator, which

00:50includes the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, stated that in the very years when we are

00:55projecting significant increases in the demand for electricity, the final rule will work

01:00to drive premature retirement of traditional units that provide essential, reliable services

01:09and dissuade new gas resources from coming online.

01:13I'm just curious, how does the EPA factor in the cost to the people that I represent

01:20that can't afford their electricity bills or the grid operators who are saying, don't

01:25do this, we can't sustain this? How does the EPA factor that into the decision to just

01:31move forward and say, kind of, damn the torpedoes?

01:34Well, I think there is a process and maybe a difference in some of these statements.

01:38When the rule was proposed, we engaged in a lengthy round of conversations. I even Congressman

01:47Bill Johnson, who was our subcommittee chair at the time, hosted a number of meetings with

01:51me and industry and the like and grid operators.

01:54And so we have had robust conversations. I think PJM has made a statement that acknowledges

01:59that numerous adjustments were made in between the proposal and final that really began to

02:05help address some of their concerns about reliability.

02:09So are there claims about the reliability and the inability to provide power and the

02:16fact that it will result in blackouts and brownouts, is that not true?

02:21We believe that we have resolved all anxiety.

02:27But they're still making the statement. And what about ratepayers? What about people paying

02:31the bill? Pennsylvania, it's hot right now in the summertime. It's cold in the wintertime.

02:37They can't afford their bills now. The bills are going to go up, right? It's essentially

02:42supply and demand. There's going to be great demand but less supply. What does their need

02:48factor into your decision making?

02:50It factors in heavily. And as I've conversed with numerous utility executives and those

02:56that manage, they're going to be looking at a suite of technologies to provide electricity.

03:02So our estimates are less than 1 percent increase in price over the next 10 to 15 years.

03:08Okay. So your estimates are less than a 1 percent increase in price over 10 to 15 years.

03:14Yes.

03:15Can you attest to that and promise that it will not go up more than 1 percent in the

03:20next 15 years?

03:21What we can do is we can provide you all the data.

03:23No, no, no, no. Sir, you're moving the rule. It's being fought in the courts. But the people

03:28that I work for, my bosses that can't afford their groceries, can't afford gasoline, can't

03:34afford their daycare, can't afford electricity, you're saying that you've gotten their input

03:39and this is not going to impact them essentially more than 1 percent over the next 15 years.

03:45I want you to promise me right now because I've got to go face them. I have to face them.

03:49Yes. I think you can assure them that the EPA administrator said that his experts, the

03:55experts at FERC, DOE and EPA all agree on the assessments that have been made on reliability

04:02and cost.

04:04So it's not going to go up more than 1 percent. And if it does, then what? Then what do you

04:08do? What do I do? Do you quit your job? Do you pay them the difference? What happens

04:12then?

04:13Well, you know, the way these rules are designed, they are designed and each State has a State

04:18implementation plan. So it's not like

04:20So we're going to pass the buck. It's not your problem. And somehow it was the States

04:25that did it to them.

04:26No, no, no. States have flexibilities in terms of how they they have delegated programs.

04:31So we give the States the autonomy. They design special State implementation programs and

04:36they are ensuring that the individuality of that State is met with that planning. And

04:43the planning for North Carolina is different from the planning in Nevada.

04:46And I appreciate that. And God bless the people from North Carolina. I don't want them to

04:50have to pay any more either, but I don't represent them. I got to face the people of South Central

04:54Pennsylvania that can't afford their bills right now. And you're telling me it's not

04:58going to go up more than 1% over the next 15 years. But if it does, somehow it's the

05:03States fault.

05:04Thank you, Mr. Perry.

05:05States have flexibilities to adjust.

05:06Our time is up. Five minutes is up. I would like to yield five minutes to Mr. Garcia.

Scott Perry Asks EPA Administrator Regan To Promise Him That Energy Prices Won't Increase Beyond 1%

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