Lycoming News

Members of the Pennsylvania Senate and the Ohio General Assembly convened in Columbus today for a hearing on energy reliability, sustainability, and affordability. The hearing consisted of two panels, one focusing on state and national energy impacts and the other on consumer and generational impacts.

During the hearing, legislators heard testimony from various experts, including PJM, the organization that manages the mid-Atlantic power grid, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. The legislators discussed the importance of a diverse energy portfolio and the immediate impacts that actions taken by one state can have on neighboring states.

Pennsylvania Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee chairman, Sen. Gene Yaw, expressed his gratitude to Ohio for recognizing the urgency of the issue and joining forces to protect the region's families and businesses from rolling blackouts and rising costs.

Ohio Rep. Dick Stein, chairman of the Ohio House Public Utilities Committee, emphasized the urgency of addressing the retirement of existing fossil fuel plants and the need for additional, affordable generation. He called on government at all levels to work together to avoid a catastrophic failure of the grid.

The PJM organization projected that 20% of its existing capacity will retire by 2030, leading to potential increases in prices, blackouts, and restrictions on electricity usage. Pennsylvania Senate Majority Whip Ryan Aument highlighted the importance of addressing these issues to ensure uninterrupted and unrestricted access to power for constituents.

Pennsylvania Sen. Scott Hutchinson pointed out that the risk of outages is not solely due to climate change, but also because of increased energy consumption, inadequate investment in grid infrastructure, and underutilization of efficient energy resources.

Industry representatives acknowledged the significant role that Pennsylvania and Ohio play in ensuring grid reliability during the energy transition. Glen Thomas, president of GT Power Group, praised the collective work of both states in addressing regional reliability issues and emphasized the need for continued vigilance and engagement.

The legislators' efforts have already yielded positive results. In August, Yaw and Stein testified at a meeting of PJM's Board of Managers, leading to the approval of capacity market reform filings by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). These reforms aim to evaluate reliability risks and accredit capacity resources to meet peak demand.

Yaw highlighted the impact made by Pennsylvania and Ohio in influencing PJM and FERC through their collective efforts. He emphasized that there is still more work to be done, but the progress made so far is an accomplishment.

Legislators from both states agreed that addressing the complex reliability challenges of the transforming grid requires collaboration, coordination, and thoughtful action among regional entities, state, and federal policymakers.

Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Stefano emphasized the importance of partnerships between Pennsylvania and Ohio to ensure reliable and cost-effective energy with the capacity and infrastructure to sustain it in the future.

Today's hearing marks the second meeting between the Pennsylvania and Ohio legislatures, with the first taking place in Pittsburgh in November, focusing on interstate relationships within the PJM Grid.

For more information on state-related news, constituents can visit Senator Yaw's website or follow him on social media.

Contact:

Elizabeth Weitzel

Phone: 717-787-3280