The Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) supports several key provisions within the Connecting Hard-to-reach Areas with Renewably Generated Energy (CHARGE) Act, which highlights the federal guidance necessary for regional transmission planning and emissions data to accelerate a carbon-free power sector, including:

Improved Transmission Planning. With tens of thousands of megawatts of wind and solar power stuck in electric grid interconnection queues, Senator Markey’s CHARGE Act offers several solutions meant to address today’s slow and ineffective transmission planning processes, which impede access to the lower-cost, more reliable, and cleaner power customers are demanding.

Transparent Grid Emissions Data. Energy customers need more granular and transparent electricity emissions data to  understand and better target their clean energy procurement and operations toward the times and places of greatest decarbonization impact. The requirement that all electricity generators make hourly operating and greenhouse gas emissions data transparent and accessible to the public is particularly significant to CEBA members.  

“This legislation puts important markers in the ground for what is needed to make the electric grid more responsive to the needs of the 21^st century,” said Misti Groves, Vice President for Policy and Market Innovation. “CEBA looks forward to working with Senator Markey to advance the bill’s key provisions on forward-looking transmission planning and data transparency.” 

Energy customers have continued to demonstrate their critical role in influencing the evolution of the energy market with over 47 GWs of renewable energy since 2008, equivalent to 35% of all installed renewable energy capacity in the U.S. over the last decade. In 2021 alone, energy customers announced more than 100 projects totaling a record 11.06 gigawatts (GW) of contracted capacity.

“For the United States to run on green energy, we will need green infrastructure,” said Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.). “The CHARGE Act would revitalize and revolutionize our grid so that we can transmit clean energy to where it’s needed, while also empowering consumers with important information on environmental impacts. I am thankful for the support from the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA), and look forward to their partnership in delivering a 21st Century electric grid for the United States.

In support of CEBA’s vision of customer-driven clean energy for all and a 90% carbon-free power grid by 2030, CEBA’s legislative priorities include: 

1. Accelerate and shape transmission planning toward a national macrogrid to save energy customers money, bolster reliability and increase access to clean energy that reduces emissions in the power sector 
2. Expand and improve organized wholesale markets for faster, cheaper decarbonization. 
3. Enable publicly accessible data on grid emissions and resource mixes from every energy supplier in the country. 

To learn more about the Clean Energy Buyers Association, visit cleanenergybuyers.org.  

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About the Clean Energy Buyers Association 

The Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) is a 501c6 business association with 300 members representing more than $7 trillion in revenues and 16 million employees. CEBA activates a community of energy customers and partners to deploy market and policy solutions for a carbon-free energy system. CEBA’s aspiration is to achieve a 90% carbon-free U.S. electricity system by 2030 and to cultivate a global community of customers driving clean energy. Visit cebuyers.org for more information.