Paul Griffin

July 22, 2022

Germany Needs A Nuclear Option

We’ve written volumes about the failure of Germany’s Energiewende, the nation’s transition to a carbon-free economy by 2038. We’ve also repeatedly written about Germany’s head-scratching decision to pivot away from nuclear energy even as the country’s carbon emissions rose. Now, the energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may […]
July 15, 2022

Energy Fairness Releases White Paper on Electricity Deregulation

As part of our ongoing effort to educate policymakers on emerging trends and significant issues in the electricity marketplace, Energy Fairness has released its latest report on electricity deregulation. With about a quarter of U.S. states having electricity markets that are completely or mostly deregulated, some states continue to consider […]
July 11, 2022

Europe’s Energy Squeeze Continues

Mostly outside of America’s public view, Europe’s energy situation continues to worsen. Only a few weeks ago, Russia’s state gas producer Gazprom reduced gas flow to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, causing energy prices to skyrocket amid fears of shortages. Additionally, Gazprom cut off three European Union countries […]
July 7, 2022

ICYMI: Summer Heat Sparks Needed Conversation On Power Reliability

ICYMI: Energy Fairness Executive Director Cline Jones recently authored an op-ed for Fits News, discussing the need for a national conversation on power grid reliability. The original piece can be viewed here.  In the wake of COVID, most Americans for the first time have been forced to face an ugly […]
June 30, 2022

U.S. Drillers Get Creative to Meet Demand

High gas prices continue to plague consumers and dominate social media, a topic Energy Fairness has covered quite a bit lately. Fortunately, U.S. drillers are finding new ways to produce crude oil economically, a development that should help place downward pressure on prices.  While the Biden Administration has called on […]
June 23, 2022

Biden Administration Calls For Gas Tax Holiday

Gas prices have been rising for months with no relief in sight. With the Biden Administration becoming increasingly desperate to assuage the public, the President has asked Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for three months to take pressure off consumers. Will it work?  “President Biden understands that high […]
June 16, 2022

The Heat is Rising And So Is CCUS Interest

The heat is on in much of the U.S. this week, with around 65 million people under some form of heat advisory. The above-average temperatures reinforce the need to combat climate change, but also should remind policy makers that we must focus on all tools in the fight to lower […]
June 9, 2022

President Biden Takes Executive Action To Accelerate Clean Energy 

Frustrated with the pace of U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technology, President Joe Biden has invoked the Defense Production Act (DPA) to accelerate domestic manufacturing of solar panels and other clean energy technology. The Defense Production Act of 1950 was first enacted on September 8, 1950, in response to the […]
June 2, 2022

EV Interest is Up, But Supplies Are Down

With gas prices spiking to new levels and future summer road trips on the horizon, you may be asking if now is the right time to buy an electric vehicle (EV)? Maybe. While Energy Fairness has enthusiastically supported EV adoption for years, the decision to take the plunge can be […]
May 20, 2022

Energy Fairness Releases New Briefing on Net Metering for Policymakers

As customers nationwide explore solar power options, it is critical that policymakers understand the relationship between residential users and electric utilities. A key part of this relationship is the financial arrangement between utilities and customers when a homeowner produces excess electricity and returns that power to the grid, an arrangement […]
May 18, 2022

What’s Next for the Texas Power Grid?

The Texas power grid simply can’t catch a break. The system faced blackouts during a record-breaking winter storm last year, ultimately contributing to more than 200 deaths. You’d think Texas officials would have taken decisive action to prevent this situation from ever happening again.  Sadly, they haven’t. This past Friday, […]
May 10, 2022

Hope May Be On the Horizon for Diablo Canyon

Over the years, Energy Fairness has taken a firm stance against the closure of California’s last nuclear plant, Diablo Canyon. Energy experts have long worried that the Golden State’s power grid is not ready to face the consequences of having the plants close. Nonetheless, the plants have still been scheduled […]
November 23, 2021

Giving Thanks more than ever.

As Americans, most of us have a laundry list of things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, particularly as we emerge from almost two years of a pandemic. Whether it’s a warm bed, food on the table, or the return of steady work to pay the bills, the modern standard […]
November 16, 2021

President Signs Infrastructure Bill – Includes Billions for Grid and EV buildout.

Yesterday, President Biden signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. This $1.2 trillion generational investment in critical infrastructure includes $65 billion for building out the grid and a national EV charging station network and $50 billion for enhancing resiliency to cyber-attacks and catastrophic weather events. But, unfortunately, […]
October 18, 2021

If Texas Officials Want to Beef Up Electric Reliability, Just Look at Alabama

There is nothing more important for power customers than ensuring that electricity is available through all conditions, including extreme winter weather. Events such as Winter Storm Uri last February remind us of the need to adequately prepare for all circumstances that stress our power production capabilities. Texas regulators are now […]
October 15, 2021

Biden Administration Approves Major Offshore Wind Sites, Storage Still needed

Yesterday the Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, announced a push for major off-shore wind expansion off nearly every coastline of the U.S. continental coast. The announcement comes on the heels of the Administration’s approval of the Vineyard Wind Project off the coasts of Nantucket and Martha Vineyard. In May, […]
October 1, 2021

Energy Secretary calls for resilient grid 

In a recent op-ed for CNN, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said it’s time for Congress to make the necessary investment to ensure the resiliency of the electric grid.  After catastrophic weather events like the recent devastation wrought by Hurricane Ida or the destruction witnessed by so many Texans after Winter […]
September 8, 2021

Energy Fairness Podcast #1: Somerset REC and its Response to Flight 93

For Energy Fairness’ first podcast, Executive Director Paul Griffin has an in-depth conversation with former Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative CEO, Rich Bauer, regarding the small rural electric coop’s response to the Flight 93 crash site.   Somerset’s employees were some of the first on the scene and had to overcome numerous […]