FULL HEARING: Mike Lee Leads Senate Energy Committee Hearing On New Bulk Energy Programs
At the Senate’s Energy & Natural Resources Committee’s Hearing to Examine the State of the Bulk Power System, Travis Fisher of the Cato Institute said, “The grid has become the rate limiter on economic growth. …What we need is a way to meet new demand quickly—without overloading the system or raising costs for existing customers. Consumer-regulated electricity or CRE is one way to do that. The idea is straightforward. Allow new, large-scale customers—like data centers—[and entrepreneurs eager to sell them electricity] to develop off-grid power systems under voluntary contracts. These systems would be physically separate from the existing grid. That means no interconnection delays. No reliance on congested transmission networks. And importantly, no shifting of costs or risks onto existing ratepayers. The bottom line is speed.”
