Wall Street Journal: The Rush to Shore Up the Power Grid Against Hurricanes, Heat and Hail

Ed Hirs, energy economist, fellow at the University of Houston and Power for Tomorrow expert, speaks to the Wall Street Journal about how companies are working to adapt as they confront record-setting temperatures, floods and windstorms

Storms are another big problem because they are expected to increase in severity and frequency. That means utilities, grid operators and power-plant owners will have to spend a lot more on things such as strengthening electric poles, transmission towers and other infrastructure.”

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Chris
Pluribus News: Maryland Attempts to Curb Rising Energy Bills with New Law Targeting Third-Party Suppliers

Brad Viator, a state utility policy expert, said the Maryland law was spurred by third-party suppliers’ heavy-handed sales tactics. “They’re like anybody else who’s trying to get a bunch of customers to sign up for a service,” Viator said. “There are some salespeople out there that are super aggressive and are using some unscrupulous tactics to get people to sign up. And the problem has become so prevalent, in Maryland in particular, but really in a lot of the states in the Northeast.”

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Gary Meltz
Maryland Lawmakers Restore Utility Regulation to Protect Electric Customers

Today, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed into law Senate Bill 1 (SB1). This legislation provides reasonable oversight of electricity markets and protects customers by restricting the amount retail suppliers can charge. This brings an end to the most harmful component of Maryland's deregulation experiment, which began in 1999 under the Electric Choice Act and promised energy savings for consumers. In the 25 years following the Electric Choice Act, Maryland customers collectively have paid an extra $1.2 billion to retail energy suppliers, compared to regulated electricity and gas prices. 

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Gary Meltz
Lexington Herald Leader: By Propping up Coal, Lawmakers will Cause Higher Energy Prices for Kentuckians

Power for Tomorrow’s Executive Director, Gary Meltz, in the Lexington Herald-Leader, discussing how lawmakers in Frankfort, seeking to protect Kentuckly’s coal industry, are pushing legislation that will create a new layer of bureaucracy overseeing the state’s electrical utilities. While the bill’s supporters mean to protect the state’s coal workers, this new law will result in Kentuckians paying higher – not lower – electric bills.

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Gary Meltz
Boston Globe: Seeking clarity on what the state's electricity market buys us

“Columnist Scot Lehigh cannot be blamed for being somewhat swayed by paid advocates for the retail electric

supply industry, who make a compelling case for letting customers pick where to get their electricity. After

gobbling up half a billion dollars more from Bay State residents than they would otherwise have paid from

2015 to 2021, the retail supply industry may well have the best spin doctors money can buy.” — PFT Executive Director Gary Meltz in the Boston Globe

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Gary Meltz