National Mining Association (NMA) President and CEO Hal Quinn issued the following statement in response to U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry’s proposed rule submitted today to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) urging prompt action to safeguard the resiliency and reliability of our nation’s electricity grid:
“Secretary Perry’s action today is a long-overdue and necessary step to address the vulnerability of America’s energy grid.
“Invoking his authority under the Energy Organization Act, the Secretary has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to take decisive steps to arrest the premature retirement of power plants capable of providing American consumers with reliable and affordable electricity. The past administration’s regulatory policies have left our once resilient energy grid increasingly vulnerable to events that can threaten the delivery of reliable and cost-effective electricity to light our homes and run our nation’s factories.
“By acting on the Secretary’s proposal, FERC can appropriately value the importance of reliable and resilient fuels that ensure baseload power, the mainstay of our nation’s grid, is available at all times.
“We urge FERC to act swiftly on this important proposal.”