MILLS AIMS TO PROVIDE KENTUCKIANS ENERGY SECURITY
FRANKFORT, KY (March 2, 2023) – Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), sponsored by Senator Robby Mills, R-Henderson, passed on the Senate floor with a vote count of 25 to 8.
The measure aims to strengthen electric grid reliability in the Commonwealth and ensure Kentucky’s residents are not faced with the dangerous and sometimes deadly consequences of power outages, “brown-outs,” or “black-outs.” The bill would prohibit the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) from authorizing the retirement of a fossil-fuel fired electric power generating unit unless the utility can demonstrate that:
The utility will replace the retired unit with with new electric generating capacity that is dispatchable; maintains or improves the reliability and resilience of the electric transmission grid; and maintains the adequate minimum reserve capacity;
The retirement of the unit will not harm the utility’s ratepayers by causing the utility to incur costs to be recovered from the ratepayers that could be avoided by continuing to operate the unit; and
The decision to retire the unit is not the result of any financial incentives or benefits offered by any federal agency.
“We have a lot of elected officials and special interest groups who want to rapidly force our energy sector toward renewable energies, but we need to be practical about what technology keeps the lights on,” Mills said. “Kentucky knows better than any state the importance of our natural resources, so with Senate Bill 4. I want to protect Kentuckians from the unintended consequences of green energy run amok.”
The retirement of coal-fired plants is a top priority of President Joe Biden’s administration, which has committed to “net-zero operations by 2050.” Kentucky’s 19 existing coal-fired plants are in line to meet Biden’s schedule, with six scheduled to close by 2029, six more by 2039 and the remaining by 2049. The annual economic impact of Kentucky’s 19 existing coal-fired plants equates to over $1.5 billion and generates a yearly tax revenue of over $90 million.
“I hope Kentuckians understand the significance of what is happening. A net-zero emission plan from the Biden Administration can be sold as a bill of good, energy-friendly policy, but the reality is that we are potentially putting lives at risk,” Mills said. “What happens when you lose electricity and heat in the dead of winter? What ultimately keeps our economy functioning and charges people's Electric Vehicles? We are still 10 to 15 years away from this technology being sustainable for our grid. How many lives are we going to lose during that time? I would like to have rose-colored glasses on for our sustainable energy future, but I have a responsibility as a lawmaker to fight and protect Kentuckian’s best interests. At the end of the day, this legislation is about making sure Kentucky families are safe.”
Additional bill provisions would require the PSC to submit an annual report by December 1 to the Legislative Research Commission on the retirement of electric generating units.
SB 4 carries an emergency designation, which means it would go into effect immediately upon filing with the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office.
Click here to see Senate Bill 4 in its entirety and visit legislature.ky.gov to find other legislation being considered during the ongoing 30-day Legislative Session.
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Senator Robby Mills, R-Henderson, represents the 4th Senate District, including Henderson, Hopkins, Union, and Webster Counties. He serves as Senate State and Local Government Committee chair and is a Senate Economic Development, Tourism and Labor; Natural Resources; and Energy and Transportation committee member. Additionally, he is a Public Pension Oversight Board member and a member of the Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government, Finance and Public Protection.
For a high-resolution .jpeg of Mills, please visit: https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators%20Full%20Res%20Images/senate104.jpg.
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