Rep. Pompeo’s Ratepayer Protection Amendment Promotes Transparency

WASHINGTON — The American Energy Alliance applauds Rep. Mike Pompeo’s Ratepayer Subsidization Protection Amendment, which was adopted today into H.R. 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015. This amendment promotes transparency by requiring utility regulators to study the effects that certain electricity-related subsidies have on ratepayers.

AEA President Thomas Pyle issued the following statement:

“We applaud Rep. Pompeo for recognizing and highlighting the problem of increasing subsidies for electricity. Many of these subsidies, such as net metering, enrich wealthy homeowners at the expense of middle and low-income families.

“As state regulators consider allowing special programs that shift the costs between ratepayers, the general public has a right to know how these programs work, who really pays the bills, and any potential downsides. Transparency should be an important bipartisan issue. As President Obama said, ‘Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their government is doing.’”

###