October 15 -- US Power Grid in Danger

For Immediate Release: October 14, 2008
Contact Greg Schnacke, 303-577-4612

Study: US Power Grid In Growing Danger Of Failure

Environmental Groups Are Main Obstacles To Getting Needed Additions On The System, Study Finds

Denver, CO – A new study shows that environmental groups are the primary barrier to necessary improvements to the U.S. power grid, which the study found is increasingly at risk for major brownouts and blackouts beginning in the summery of 2009.

The study, conducted by the NextGen Energy Council, said that the U.S. faces "potentially crippling electricity brownouts and blackouts beginning in the summer of 2009, which may cost tens of billions of dollars and threaten lives.” The study can be seen here.

"If particularly vulnerable regions, like the Western U.S., experience unusually hot temperatures for prolonged periods of time in 2009, the potential for local brownouts or blackouts is high, with significant risk that local disruptions could cascade into regional outages that could cost the economy tens of billions of dollars," the report warned.

“This study should serve as a very loud wake up call to every elected official in America,” said Wyoming Senator Bill Vasey (D), Chairman of Americans for American Energy. "There is no question that we need more power plants, more transmission lines and better access to energy resources of all types. But this study shows that the clock is ticking fast, and unless we take action fast, it may run out on us."

“We need to re-double our efforts to increase the production of all forms of American energy, including clean coal, nuclear, hydropower, renewables, oil, biofuels, natural gas and other American resources," Vasey said. "Our energy strategy must be an 'all of the above' strategy that increases our use of American resources and decreases our reliance on foreign energy sources."

The study also found that the primary barrier to getting new power plants and transmission lines built is the "opposition of well-funded environmental groups that oppose and file lawsuits against virtually every new infrastructure project proposed."

The study goes into detail about efforts by environmental groups to block new coal-fired and nuclear power plants, transmission corridors, and new oil and natural gas leasing and development on western interior lands. Lawsuits, administrative protests, new endangered species designations and other political and other legal pressure tactics are creating what the study describes as “structural political barriers being erected to system reliability.”

Other obstacles include opposition to natural gas production, which is needed to fuel the growing reliance on natural-gas fired power plants; challenges associated with putting more intermittent renewable power sources on the grid; regulatory uncertainty associated with climate change policy development; reluctance by state regulators to approve rate increases related to the imposition of new environmental or climate-related regulation; and the relatively shorter-term approach to resource planning and acquisition that industry has been forced to adopt because of all of the above factors.

Vasey said he was "deeply disappointed" with the study's findings that environmental groups are the principle barrier to shoring up the grid. "Many folks in the environmental community are well-meaning people. But some of the leaders of these national groups are leading their organizations, and our nation, down the wrong path. I call upon these leaders to start putting their country first ahead of their own personal agendas, whatever they may be."

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Americans for American Energy is a non-profit grassroots organization that promotes greater use of all American energy resources, including conservation and efficiency, and less of a reliance on foreign energy.

The NextGen Energy Council is a non-profit think-tank that works with energy and technology leaders and companies who collaborate with state and federal officials and academic institutions on cutting-edge energy technology issues.

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