Sen. Murkowski issues statement on Perry’s grid resiliency proposal

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued a statement Monday on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) submitted by Energy Secretary Rick Perry to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) aimed at protecting the reliability and resiliency of the bulk power system.

“For years, I have been concerned about how federal laws and rules affect the reliability and resiliency of our nation’s electric grids,” Murkowski, chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, said. “I respect Secretary Perry for taking an action that he believes is necessary. As the law provides, the Secretary’s transmittal of a proposed rule to FERC will spur action on a debate that has been underway since the start of this decade.”

The proposed rules would compensate eligible resources – namely nuclear, coal and hydroelectric plants – for their reliability and resiliency attributes. The NOPR directs FERC to issue a final rule within 60 days of the NOPR’s publication in the Federal Registrar or issue the proposed rule as an interim final rule.

“Now the work will shift to FERC as Congress intended when it established the Department of Energy and the Commission 40 years ago,” Murkowski said. “I look forward to seeing the record develop even further, and will be following the proceedings closely. This rulemaking is another reason why we need a full complement of commissioners at FERC, including both Kevin McIntyre and Rich Glick, whose nominations have been favorably reported by the Energy Committee and await consideration by the full Senate.”