NEWS: Senator Blunt Rochester Stands Up for Consumers, Stresses the Need for Permitting Certainty

Click here to watch Senator Blunt Rochester's full remarks and exchange with the witnesses.

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, today participated in a hearing focused on examining federal permitting processes. Senator Blunt Rochester emphasized the importance of permitting certainty and the need to bring energy costs down for consumers.

Senator Blunt Rochester's full remarks and exchange with the witnesses can be found here. Key excerpts are below:

On the Need for Permitting Certainty

Senator Blunt Rochester: "My staff and I have heard repeatedly, just like we've heard today, the importance of permitting certainty. Not only is it crucial that the executive branch not revoke permits from energy projects of any type following approval, but it's important that there are retroactive protections for permit holders. This is a yes or no question…Do you agree that, regardless of administration, permitting certainty is necessary for leaseholders and those seeking leases?"

Mr. Bechtel: "Yes."

Mr. Booker: "Yes."

Mr. Meyer: "Yes, ma'am, we do."

Ms. Hopper: "Yes."

Mr. Terry: "Yes."

On the Economic Impact of Permitting Uncertainty

Senator Blunt Rochester: "Ms. Hopper - why is retroactivity certainty for fully permitted projects so important and what are the economic consequences of selective reopenings of prior approvals?"

Ms. Hopper: "Yeah, it's fairly catastrophic. If you look at it both from the investors and the developers who are building it, who are represented all along this panel, they have put their capital at risk, right? They have investors that are awaiting returns. And so, stopping work or pulling the permit puts all of that in disarray. And then you think about the consumers, right? The people like you and I that just want to turn our lights on at the end of the day when we get home, and those electrons are likely no longer to be there. We really need to listen to the grid operators who are saying this has a significant impact. So, investment decisions get less clear, prices go up, consumers are really out of luck."

On What Should Be Included in Future Legislation

Senator Blunt Rochester: "I know all of you are all aware that Delaware is a member of the PJM interconnection. For those who don't know, [it's] a regional transmission organization that has forecasted steep increases in energy demand across the PJM region. And a recent American Clean Power report found that without new clean energy projects, energy rates in Delaware will increase by as much as 95%. 95% by 2032. This report was alarming to me and I'm sure it is equally alarming to other PJM states like West Virginia that also are poised to see skyrocketing prices…Mr. Terry, what kind of efforts should be included in a permitting package to help alleviate the growing demand?"

Mr. Terry: "Several pieces come to mind. First of all, certainly [a] technology neutral approach to make sure the right resources, low cost and reliable resources. From an efficiency perspective, it's a variety of things. Grid optimization efficiency technologies for transmission distribution systems and use efficiency technologies. All of these pieces can come together to bring down costs, or at least the increase will not be as great. We have a great deal of modernization to do of the grid. Those investments should be done with that efficiency technology innovating in mind."

###

Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.