ARLINGTON, Va. – National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson today issued the following statement on the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s 2024 Long-Term Reliability Assessment.
“NERC’s latest assessment continues painting a grim picture of our nation’s energy future and growing threats to reliable electricity,” Matheson said. “This report points directly to the need for a pro-energy policy agenda that prioritizes reliability and affordability for American families and businesses. We urge President Trump and congressional leaders to prioritize reliability right out of the gate next year before it’s too late.”
Matheson sent a letter to President Trump earlier this month pledging to work with his administration to advance these goals. “Policies that prioritize investment in American energy production, manufacturing and infrastructure are crucial for the wellbeing of rural communities. We urge you to take a coordinated approach which ensures that energy projects can be built efficiently, effectively, and at reasonable cost.”
Consistent with last year’s long-term reliability assessment, NERC’s latest report finds that much of the country faces an increasing risk of energy shortfalls over the next 10 years under both normal and extreme conditions.
In a separate report last year on reliability risk priorities, NERC for the first time identified U.S. energy policy itself a top threat to electric reliability.
“Ensuring reliability during and after policy driven transitions should be a key consideration in setting Energy Policy,” NERC said. “Education for policymakers and regulators to increase awareness of the reliability implications of policy decisions is a critical need.”
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national trade association representing nearly 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation’s landscape. As local businesses built by the consumers they serve, electric cooperatives have meaningful ties to rural America and invest $15 billion annually in their communities.
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