Report: Nine essential principles for the power grid

A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report calls on legislators to consider nine important principles for the power grid before passing any legislation that could alter the grid’s makeup.

“A reliable electrical grid is essential to all aspects of daily life. Power keeps the lights on, appliances running, and keeps home temperatures well regulated. Americans have rightfully come to expect reliable electricity and the grid has made this possible,” says report author and CEI Research Fellow Paige Lambermont. “Yet some legislators are valuing other goals above maintaining reliability. Predictably, reliability has begun to suffer.”

“Legislators at all levels of government should respect certain principles for electrical grid soundness,” says Lambermont. “In so doing, they will be helping to ensure the long-term efficacy of all parts of the electrical grid.”

Several of these key principles include:

• Reliability should be the primary concern of electricity policy, with cost as the second consideration for lawmakers.
• Policymakers should reject energy subsidies and not pick energy “winners and losers.”
• The movement of necessary natural gas fuel should not be impeded by government regulations.
• Baseload power should not be taken off the grid in the name of “reducing emissions.”
• Policymakers should always critically consider the causes of blackouts.

Read the full report: How to Keep the Lights On: Nine principles for electrical grid reliability.