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Letter to Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy - Memorandum for Power Marketing Administrators

Letter

By: Martha Roby, Mike Enzi, John Kline, Steve Womack, Mark Begich, Roy Blunt, Tom Harkin, Hal Rogers, Chuck Grassley, Pat Roberts, Emanuel Cleaver II, Cedric Richmond, Timothy Johnson, Robert Aderholt, John Sullivan, Ed Whitfield, Johnny Isakson, Tom McClintock, Raúl Labrador, Joe Heck, Jr., Mike Doyle, Jr., Bill Nelson, Sr., Billy Long, Mike Lee, Mike Simpson, Ed Towns, Gregg Harper, Lee Terry, Walter Jones, Jr., Sam Graves, Ben Chandler III, Patty Murray, Trent Franks, Kent Conrad, Norm Dicks, Todd Akin, Jo Bonner, Jr., Blaine Luetkemeyer, Marsha Blackburn, Mike McIntyre, Cory Gardner, Mike Honda, Stephen Fincher, Ron Wyden, Rick Larsen, Doug Lamborn, Morgan Griffith, Mike Thompson, Alan Nunnelee, Michele Bachmann, Doc Hastings, Trey Gowdy III, Richard Hanna, Tim Griffin, Phil Roe, Anna Eshoo, Michael Coffman, Howard Coble, Steve King, Ron Paul, John Boozman, John Barrasso, Jeff Miller, Bob Goodlatte, Orrin Hatch, Rick Crawford, Jim Costa, Jeff Denham, Tim Holden, Kurt Schrader, John Thune, Adam Smith, Jim Webb, Jr., Jerry Moran, Steve Southerland, Brett Guthrie, Mike Johanns, Steve Pearce, Robert Hurt, Jo Ann Emerson, Lois Capps, Tim Johnson, Patrick McHenry, Greg Walden, Rob Bishop, Peter Welch, Mark Pryor, Karen Bass, John Hoeven, Tim Walz, Steven Palazzo, Jon Kyl, Jeff Merkley, John Duncan, Jr., John Barrow, Jeff Duncan, David Schweikert, Ben Quayle, Joe Wilson, Sr., Bobby Rush, Terri Sewell, Pete Stark, Paul Broun, Mark Udall, Paul Gosar, Steve Stivers, Frank Lucas, James Risch, Tim Scott, Kristi Noem, Donna Christensen, James Lankford, Wally Herger, Jr., Jim Clyburn, Barbara Lee, Spencer Bachus, Scott Tipton, Jim McDermott, Jerry McNerney, Mike Crapo, Danny Davis, Roger Wicker, Renee Ellmers, Jon Tester, Dean Heller, Jeff Fortenberry, Mike Rogers, Mark Amodei, Claire McCaskill, Dan Boren, Peter DeFazio, Rick Berg, Bennie Thompson, David Price, Jeff Sessions III, John McCain III, Ed Pastor, Mo Brooks, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Diane Black, Adrian Smith, Lynn Westmoreland, Lisa Murkowski, Jeff Flake, Maria Cantwell, Jim Matheson, Larry Kissell, Collin Peterson, Lindsey Graham, Doris Matsui, Cathy Rodgers, Chuck Fleischmann, Dennis Cardoza, Saxby Chambliss, Dan Lungren, Lamar Alexander, Cynthia Lummis, G. K. Butterfield, Jr., Thad Cochran, Amy Klobuchar, Sanford Bishop, Jr., Jason Chaffetz, Denny Rehberg, Hank Johnson, Jr., Jack Kingston, Tom Latham
Date: June 8, 2012
Issues: Energy

Utah's congressional delegation has helped lead a bipartisan effort of members of the U.S. Senate and House urging U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu to back away from his "Memorandum for Power Marketing Administrators," which imposes a new top-down decision making structure for electric transmission grids. The March 16 memo has created a strong and widespread reaction among consumers and power provides who rely upon Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs) to allow for reliable and affordable electric rates. Chief among the complaints is that the Chu Memorandum reverses the normal bottom-up decision making process guiding decisions of the PMAs regarding the electric grid.

In the letter signed by 166 Republican and Democrat members of the Senate and House, including all members of Utah's congressional delegation, the signers state that they "have heard from numerous public power utilities, rural electric cooperatives and local officials in our states who are troubled by the potential cost impacts of these directives and by a perceived expansion of the role of the PMAs beyond their current statutory authority". The letter asks for "meaningful collaboration with stakeholders, including ratepayers and Congress, prior to moving forward with these new initiatives."

The full text of the letter is below and a signed copy can be viewed HERE.

The Honorable Steven Chu

Secretary of Energy

Washington, DC 20585

Dear Secretary Chu:

We write to express our concerns with the new direction and the initiatives contemplated for the Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs) in your memo dated March 16, 2012.

In your memo, you state an intention to direct the PMAs to act in areas involving transmission expansion, renewable energy, energy efficiency, cyber security and electric vehicles in order to ensure a modern, secure and reliable electric transmission grid. While these are important public policy goals, we are concerned that these new initiatives have been put forward without sufficient evaluation of potential impacts to the customers of the clean, reliable electricity marketed by the PMAs. We have heard from numerous public power utilities, rural electric cooperatives and local officials in our states who are troubled by the potential cost impacts of these directives and by a perceived expansion of the role of the PMAs beyond their current statutory authority. These proposals also constitute a fundamental shift away from regional planning, and the understanding of local needs and impacts which comes with it, towards a Washington, D.C.-based, top-down approach. We are also concerned that the Department of Energy appears to be sidestepping the role of Congress in debating and overseeing policies relating to the PMAs.

The PMAs have responsibly marketed federally generated hydropower for decades to approximately 1,100 electric utilities in 34 states, providing this clean electricity to more than 40 million Americans. They have also built and maintained thousands of miles of high voltage transmission systems to deliver this power. Through a partnership with their customers, the PMAs repay the federal investment in these systems with interest annually. This public-private partnership between the PMAs and their customers is a model that works extraordinarily well, not only for our constituents, but for the U.S. taxpayer. Changes to this model should not be made without due consideration of the concerns of impacted stakeholders.

The federal power program is integral to keeping electricity rates affordable and reliable for the customers of community-owned and consumer-owned utilities across the states we represent. We strongly urge you to pursue meaningful collaboration with stakeholders, including ratepayers and Congress, prior to moving forward with these new initiatives.

Sincerely,


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