Sierra Club Applauds House Democrats Condemnation of FERC Attack On State Clean Energy Economies

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, 36 House Democrats sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) expressing serious concerns over the commission’s recent decision to institute a Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR), which forces new renewable energy generation, like wind and solar, out of the PJM capacity market. 

The MOPR artificially increases the cost of electricity from renewable energy resources that receive incentives from states seeking to protect public health from pollution and meet climate goals, while ignoring generous state and federal subsidies that similar fossil fuel plants receive. In their letter, the representatives argued that the order will eventually raise costs for consumers in the PJM market by forcing them to buy duplicative capacity, severely jeopardize the nation’s advanced energy economy, and nullify state efforts to advance clean energy policies. 

The letter was led by Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA), Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Matt Cartwright (D-PA). 

In response, Mary Anne Hitt, Senior Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, released the following statement:

“We applaud representatives Beyer, Quigley, and Cartwright for leading the charge against this reckless, arbitrary rulemaking that threatens the freedom of states participating in the PJM capacity market to set clean energy targets that improve public health and address the climate crisis.

“FERC’s decision to single out cheap, clean energy resources that follow their state public health and climate laws, while willfully ignoring the generous subsidies that fossil fuels receive on an annual basis, is as outrageous as it is legally suspect. We are heartened by these representatives’ attentiveness to the seriousness of the situation and welcome their challenge to this reckless display of energy favoritism in the PJM capacity market.”