Electric Co-op Today

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.—Co-ops will have to adapt to a spate of looming regulatory hurdles, even as they challenge some of them, if they are to serve their members’ best interests, an NRECA official told the Regions 1 & 4 meeting.

Kirk Johnson, NRECA vice president of energy and environmental policy, updates regional meeting participants on climate change issues. (Photo By: Steven Johnson)

During an hour-long briefing on the state of energy policy, Kirk Johnson, NRECA vice president of energy and environmental policy, said “a new activism” is apparent at the federal and state levels.

That encompasses a range of actions, such as regulation of carbon dioxide emissions, new standards for handling coal ash, revamped rules for hazardous air pollutants, and requirements for renewable energy generation, Johnson said at the Sept. 8 session.

In many cases, federal and state regulators are stepping into a void left this year by congressional inaction on climate change legislation. In others, they are implementing laws already on the books and tightening standards that could have a multi-billion dollar impact on the electric utility industry, Johnson said.

“We are probably entering an era where regulatory activities are going to play a more significant role in our business than legislative matters,” he said.

In particular, he noted, the Environmental Protection Agency will start regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act in January.

“It’s very easy to say ‘I don’t like this; this is going in the wrong direction,’” Johnson said. “But what we need to do is figure out what those changes are, what they mean, and how we can best prepare for them and adapt to them on behalf of our members.”

Johnson added that co-ops can draw on the creativity and hard work that helped them overcome political obstacles in the past.

That might mean directing more grassroots activity toward the regulatory side by writing EPA officials or asking state attorneys general and governors to file actions on behalf of co-op interests.

“We’re going to have to be flexible. We’re going to have to take control of our future by using our grassroots strength in this changing environment,” he said.

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Tags: Climate Change Legislation, Environmental Protection Agency, Greenhouse Gas, Regional Meetings