FILE - Power utility lines are seen, Oct. 6, 2021, in Pownal, Maine. Federal energy regulators on Monday, May 13, 2024, approved a long-awaited rule to expand the amount of renewable energy such as wind and solar power that is transmitted to the electric grid, a key part of President Joe Bidenâs goal to decarbonize the economy by 2050.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the new rule, 2-1, with Chairman Willie Phillips and fellow Democratic commissioner Allison Clements voting in favor. Republican Mark Christie opposed the rule, dismissing it as a gift to solar and wind power operators. At the same time, aging infrastructure, shifting economics and a range of state and federal policies are leading traditional resources to retire, he said. "On top of all of this, extreme weather events have become the norm, and the electric grid is routinely being pushed to the brink.''
"Instead, this rule is a pretext to enact a sweeping policy agenda that Congress never passed," he said. The rule will likely result in "a massive transfer of wealth from consumers to for-profit special interests," primarily wind and solar operators, he said.