Alliance for Responsible Energy Policy (AREP) Positions

For the past hundred years policies and heavy subsidies have allowed Energy Companies to control energy production. Today, locally produced technologies are clean, safe, renewable and reliable. AREP supports wise policy that promotes energy production from renewable sources, and financial incentives to homeowners and businesses for locally produced energy. Rooftop generation and installations on previously developed land are much less destructive than utility-scale, long distance energy projects which create permanent environmental losses.

We support the following principles:

CONSERVING ENERGY: Nobody can dispute that the greenest power is that which is never produced, yet utilities do not focus on conservation. Government investment, incentives and regulations need to be pursued in much more aggressive “green” and “net zero” building codes, energy efficiency and monitoring technology, and energy/tax pricing structures which encourage responsible behavior and discourage excess consumption.

NATIONAL SECURITY: Local production provides a natural defense against acts of terrorism while the current centralized grids and large power plants provide easy targets which could debilitate large regions.

RELIABILITY AND SAFETY: The more transmission distance, the greater the likelihood of outages caused by earthquake, fire, wind and other forces, as well as the greater likelihood of wildfires caused by downed or arcing power lines. Local production is more reliable, safe and stable.

HABITAT/HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS/OPEN SPACES: Current utility-scale generation averages 10,000 acres per project. Current projects are almost entirely sited in vital habitats with negative impacts on millions of acres of balanced ecosystems and cultural resources. Local production will eliminate this destruction.

PROPERTY RIGHTS: Solar and “Net Zero” structures retain their value. Long-distance transmission of energy threatens and destroys protected public and private lands. Families are forced from their homes via eminent domain to accommodate more transmission lines for remote utility-scale projects. Investment in local generation would greatly increase property values, air quality, health and welfare of all residents.

THE ECONOMY: Local generation will create countless skilled labor jobs which cannot be outsourced overseas, while capital incentive programs will reward individual producers for investing in clean energy on their own properties, drastically shortening payback periods, and increasing disposable income for millions of families. Utility scale projects create far fewer jobs, use billions in taxpayer dollars and financially benefit only the utilities themselves.

RURAL LIFE/HEALTH: Americans who prefer to live time-honored traditions of small towns and farms are disproportionately harmed by giant utility-scale remote projects, which mostly serve urban customers. Homes are being taken, health is being put at risk, water, land and skies are being poisoned, and lifestyles are being threatened by unsustainable, unhealthy policies. Producing sustainable energy locally will assist in helping all communities flourish.