Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Energy Subcommittee Chairman Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) blasted the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for its 3-1 party line vote gutting Section 210 of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA):
“This vote is a transparent attempt to dismantle PURPA, a crucial tool for competitive market development and sustainable energy projects that makes clean energy more accessible and affordable. With this party-line vote, FERC is making qualifying facilities nonfinanceable, throwing up an insurmountable barrier of entry for clean energy generation across the country. This will have the effect of stifling competition and threatening renewables. FERC’s action is particularly irresponsible now, as clean energy jobs are among those being lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, and American families are desperate for more affordable energy.
“We wrote to FERC late last year expressing concern that these changes amount to a complete rewrite of the law, and we continue to question FERC’s legal authority to make these changes. What’s more, this year we released a comprehensive climate bill, the CLEAN Future Act, which includes a requirement that qualifying facilities under PURPA have the option to enter into a fixed price contract for energy - something FERC’s latest action totally undermines. This move only strengthens our resolve to see that requirement become law."
