Energy Fairness Celebrates a Decade of Advocacy

For more than a decade, Energy Fairness has advocated for a fair and common-sense based approach to energy policy. We’ve prided ourselves on having an honest conversation with policymakers and consumers concerning what it takes to maintain an affordable and reliable supply of energy. Under the Energy Fairness moniker, and formerly as the Partnership for Affordable Clean Energy, our commentary has been published in source such as the Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Morning Consult, Transmission & Distribution World and the Houston Chronicle.

As energy issues have evolved, our primary objective has remained the same: ensure that the families and businesses of America have access to affordable and reliable power. 

In pursuit of this goal, we’ve written on such issues as fossil fuel divestment, nuclear projects, and renewable energy. We’ve pushed back against policies that would hurt a majority of consumers, including electricity deregulation and retail rate net-metering, advocating instead for sensible policies that protect most families and businesses. Our clear, fact-based advocacy has helped win important battles for ratepayers in states such as Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida.

We’ve been front and center for major debates on policy over the past ten years as well. Under the leadership of former Executive Director Lance Brown, we testified at an EPA hearing to discuss proposed new Maximum Achievable Control Technology (or MACT) regulations. We were featured on the national web radio show, America’s Voice for Energy, to discuss solar power and public policies that affect it. 

Under the direction of former Executive Director Laura Schepis, we testified before the Florida Constitution Revision Commission regarding the dangers of electricity deregulation, as well as  before the Missouri House of Representatives Utilities Committee highlighting the benefits of natural gas hedging. 

Under current Executive Director, Paul Griffin, we have continued the fight for affordable and reliable energy, addressing Florida lawmakers last year in support of policies aimed at enhancing the resiliency of the state’s power grid and continuing the push back against electric deregulation in the Sunshine State.

Followers of our advocacy have been privy to the perspectives of numerous guest blogs throughout the years from credible voices in the energy space. Those include personalities such as Tim Echols, Vice-Chairman of the Georgia Public Service Commission, who wrote about why policies like the “Green New Deal” are unnecessary and David Gattie, an Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of Georgia, who has written and testified about the benefits of using nuclear energy to reduce carbon emissions. Our followers have heard from Tennessee Valley Authority’s Chief Nuclear Officer, Tim Rausch, who touted the benefits of nuclear energy, pointing toward TVA’s 50% carbon dioxide reductions in recent years. Last year, Jason Begger, the Executive Director of the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority, wrote about efforts underway at the Wyoming Integrated Test Center to turn carbon dioxide emissions from a liability into an asset. 

And while educating policymakers has been integral part of our mission, we’ve also taken a hands-on approach to educating the public and stakeholders about the need for sensible energy policy. For example, we’ve published in-depth reports on relevant topics such as net-metering, the importance of storm-hardening, and the dangers to retirees and institutions of fossil fuel divestment. In 2015, we launched a focused initiative called PACECAR to educate college students about their vehicle emissions, allowing them to do their part for clean air on campus. 

One of our most popular education programs is our biannual Energy Tour that gives participants an up close and personal view of how our energy is made and transported, including a trip into a working underground coal mine, a cruise on a coal barge, and an inside look at how a steel production facility uses electricity. This tour provides a fresh outlook on energy policy to everyone who experiences it. We’ll be hosting our fifth such tour later this year. 

As we look back today at a decade plus of advocacy and education, we are as committed as ever to being an honest and fact-based voice in national and regional energy discussions. The families and businesses of America deserve no less. We at Energy Fairness thank you for your support over the years as we’ve pursued our mission of doing whatever it takes to maintain an affordable and reliable supply of energy for the people who use it.