Secure America’s Future Economy

For smaller, more focused, less costly government.

SB 33 requires further study (Whipple)

01/21/21

NOTE: After drafting a letter to members of the Senate Environmental & Energy Committee, we learned that the Senate had already passed SB 33 and sent it to the House. We elected to send it to the senators anyway (in case there might be some way to reconsider this action) plus forwarding the correspondence to Rep. William Bush, chair of the House Energy Committee, in hopes of winning his support.

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SECURE AMERICA’S FUTURE ECONOMY
Advocates of smaller, more focused, less costly government

January 21, 2021

Dear Representative Bush,

We're hoping that SB 33 will receive more thoughtful consideration in the House than it apparently received in the Senate. If you have any questions or we can help further, please advise.

Sincerely,
William Whipple III

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SECURE AMERICA’S FUTURE ECONOMY
Advocates of smaller, more focused, less costly government

January 21, 2021

Delaware General Assembly

Sens. Stephanie Hansen, Trey Paradee, Marie Pinkney, Laura Sturgeon, Gerald Hocker, David Wilson, David Lawson

Re: Senate Bill 33

Dear Senators,

WE WERE PLANNING TO COMMENT ON SB-33, WHICH WE NOW UNDERSTAND WAS PASSED BY THE SENATE TODAY AND SENT TO THE HOUSE. IF THERE IS SOME WAY TO REIVISIT THIS DECISION, WE WOULD URGE THAT YOU TAKE THE FOLLOWING POINTS INTO ACCCOUNT.

Senate Bill 33 has the apparent purpose of amending the existing Renewable Portfolio Standard Act (REPSA legislation) to expand on the existing renewable energy targets that have been set. We believe this proposal should be put on the shelf until such time as there has been a credible review of policy options in this area and a cost/benefit analysis of the preferred alternative. Happily, there is ample time for such a review as the existing RPS targets will not be fully phased in for several more years.

Compliance with the REPSA requirements plus the associated Bloom Energy tariff is costing Delaware energy consumers millions of dollars per month (probably over half a billion dollars on a cumulative basis) in higher electric power costs, so this is not a trivial matter. Any effect on the rate of global warming is too small to be quantified, and in any case the perceived alternative energy sources (wind or solar power) are unsuitable to drive a reliable electric power grid. And based on currently available technology, the logical alternative to fossil fuel (increasingly natural gas thanks to the fracking boom) would be nuclear power – not wind and solar power.

We have been disappointed with both DNREC and the PSC for basing their policy guidance in this area on politics and/or “virtue signalling” versus systematic analysis, and have volunteered our services for a “red team, blue team” analysis of the envisioned path forward. Browser path: s-a-f-e.org – Outreach – Contacting legislators – 2019 – 5/13/19 (letter to Sen. Harris McDowell, Sen. Dave Lawson, Rep. David Wilson).

If you have questions or we can help further, please advise.

Sincerely,
William Whipple III