CEO’s Report: Legislative Rally preview
February 18, 2025Regulation at the federal level can have an impact on the day-to-day operations of your local utility.
Each year, the American Public Power Association descends upon Washington D.C. to visit with federal lawmakers on the importance of public power and advocate for issues important to us.
This year, the Legislative Rally takes place February 24-26.
Heartland jointly own an efficient coal plant with all the latest pollution control technologies in place. Our portfolio is balanced with renewable wind energy and customer rates continue to be stable.
We will advocate for no increased regulation that would hamper our current position or lead to price increases for customers. Here are a few of the issues we’ll be bringing forth:
Electric Reliability
Federal policies are needed to support energy production, manufacturing and infrastructure as demand will only continue to increase.
Unprecedented demand growth from traditional loads, data centers, and electrification is coming at a time when traditional generation is retiring prematurely and new, reliable generation cannot be built quickly enough.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation increased its 10-year summer peak demand forecast by over 50 percent last year.
Congress must support public power utilities in providing reliable, sustainable, and affordable electricity to their constituents.
- Federal policies must not force the early retirement of existing generation sources.
- Streamline the interconnection of generation resources, especially those needed for reliability.
- Enhance coordination between the electric and gas industries with higher standards for gas delivery, notification, and transparency to protect a reliable electric system.
Grid Security
The electric sector has strong mandatory and enforceable cyber and physical security standards in place.
Threats are always evolving, and standards are only one part of ensuring security.
Congress must support strong industry-government partnerships to prevent, prepare for, and respond to attacks.
- Oppose redundant regulatory and reporting mandates.
- Facilitate the sharing of timely and actionable threat information.
Tax Exempt Financing
H.R. 1255, bipartisan legislation titled Investing in Our Communities Act of 2025, would reinstate the ability to issue tax-exempt advance refunding bonds. This would allow state and local governments to more efficiently invest in projects throughout their communities. This legislation would reduce costs and increase flexibility in financing the investments.
Bonds finance more than three-quarters of the nation’s core infrastructure. They reduce costs for borrowers and are an incredibly valuable investment for millions of Americans.
Information about the bill’s status can be found here. A press release from Rep. Kustoff’s office can be found here.
Municipal utilizes are strongly encouraged by APPA to contact their congressional offices in support of H.R. 1255 – to support the bill, but also to make the underlying case in support of tax-exempt financing.