News

Investments in the Inflation Reduction Act will create middle-class jobs, revitalize American manufacturing, and make our nation more energy independent   

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 7, 2022 – Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), a national trade association of clean energy buyers and businesses, celebrated Senate passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which includes $369 billion for clean energy, advanced energy manufacturing, and electrified transportation, and released the following statement on behalf of its CEO, Nat Kreamer:  

The project is set to be the largest offshore wind farm in America and could cement Virginia as the nation’s leading wind power hub 

RICHMOND, August 5, 2022 — Business association Virginia Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) applauded  today’s State Corporation Commission decision greenlighting construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. The project is set to be the largest offshore wind farm in North America and follows the landmark 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), which included specific provisions to encourage the development of offshore wind, helping Virginia’s largest utility go 100% clean by 2045. 

This week, national business group Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) released new research into the economic development potential of establishing a regional transmission organization (RTO) to operate the power grid for Western states. The report, conducted by independent consulting firm Energy Strategies, finds that establishing an RTO for Western states would create as many as 657,000 permanent, high-paying jobs in the West. If you want to learn more, watch the press briefing here. 

Clean energy investments will reduce electricity costs and create good jobs in America 

WASHINGTON, DC, July 27, 2022 – Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), a national trade association of clean energy buyers and businesses, celebrated the federal budget agreement announced today by Senate leaders Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin, and released the following statement on behalf of its CEO, Nat Kreamer:

“At a time of acute inflation, this agreement represents a truly historic step towards lowering the energy bills of Americans and creating real energy independence. It is likewise a smart investment in our domestic advanced energy industry, creating tens of thousands of good jobs. We applaud Senator Schumer, Senator Manchin, and all of those involved in bringing this agreement to fruition. We look forward to reviewing the details of the bill and urge Congress to move swiftly towards passage.”

A Western RTO could save Western states $2 billion in annual energy savings

JULY 26, 2022 – A new report for national business association Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) by independent consulting firm Energy Strategies finds that establishing a Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) for Western states would create as many as 657,000 permanent, high-paying jobs in the West. The analysis, "Western RTO Economic Impact Study," also found that a Western RTO would diversify state economies and save ratepayers millions of dollars per year in energy costs.

An RTO is a cooperation agreement which allows electric utilities across multiple states to share resources and leverage the cheapest, cleanest, and most efficient energy sources through an organized regional market. Currently, the West is one of the only regions in the U.S. without an RTO managing its power grid.

The analysis found that every state in the Western region (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming) could expect economic benefits from a West-wide RTO, driven by lower electricity prices for households and businesses, additional clean energy development across the region, and the expansion of existing, as well as attraction of new, businesses to the West.

7 in 10 Illinoisans say that state officials should be doing more to reduce emissions from gas and diesel vehicles, transition to zero-emission models

JULY 21, 2022 – Roughly 7 in 10 Illinoisans say smog and air pollution are negatively impacting their quality of life, and want state officials to do more to decrease the gas and diesel vehicle emissions causing much of the problem.

The findings are part of a new statewide survey conducted by YouGov in partnership with national business association Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), and come just a month after the American Lung Association listed the Chicago metro area as having the 16th-worst ozone pollution in the nation.

"Transportation emissions are the largest source of pollution, particularly from trucks and buses, and parts of Illinois are suffering from unsafe levels of ozone, particularly during the summer,” said Ryan Gallentine, Transportation Policy Director at AEE. “Illinoisans say they want their state leaders to take action by electrifying the state’s trucks, buses and delivery vans more quickly.”

WASHINGTON, July 15, 2022 – National business association Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) President Heather O’Neill issued the following statement today about Senate budget reconciliation negotiations: 

“Americans are facing historic levels of inflation, driven in large part by global fossil fuel prices. The tax credits in this package would deliver much needed relief, helping to cut energy prices and reduce U.S. dependence on price-volatile fossil fuels, by spurring the domestic manufacturing and deployment of clean, affordable, and reliable advanced energy technologies. Failing to use this opportunity to boost the domestic advanced energy manufacturing industry would mean American workers get less benefit from the world’s transition to clean energy, and would all but assure that our economic competitors, particularly China, reap the economic rewards instead. We call on Congress to enact them as soon as possible.

Treating solar panels like pavement creates unnecessary project costs, new industry research paper shows

RICHMOND, July 13, 2022 — Business association Virginia Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) expressed disappointment about new regulatory guidance issued by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) today that fails to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens on the Virginia solar industry.

The guidance updates regulatory memos issued by Virginia’s DEQ in March that changed technical parameters of solar farm construction and maintenance. The DEQ memos claimed that because solar farms look similar to roads and parking lots on satellite imagery, solar farms should be regulated as such. Guidance released today outlined means for compliance, suggesting developers install unnecessary technology workarounds.

“Solar panels are not pavement, and solar farms are not parking lots,” said Kim Jemaine, Policy Director at Advanced Energy Economy (AEE). “Research conducted by both academic institutions and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory confirms that solar installations do not cause the kind of damaging runoff that paved surfaces do. These new regulations, which are not based on science, will hamstring a growing industry in Virginia for no valid reason.”

Budget includes $125 million for transformative new program that pairs necessary home repairs with energy cost-saving measures

New statewide poll shows smog and air quality adversely impacting quality of life in Colorado; majority support electrifying trucks, buses 

DENVER, July 11, 2022 – Most Coloradans say summer smog and air pollution are negatively impacting their quality of life and support policies that would counteract the source of much of that pollution: emissions from gas and diesel vehicles.