Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) 1.2

The U.S. Department of Energy DOE has announced a series of public meetings around the country to seek input on the second installment of the Quadrennial Energy Review (QER 1.2), which is a study the of the nation's electricity system from generation to end-use. The stated purpose of the QER 1.2 is to develop a set of findings and policy recommendations to help guide the modernization of the nation’s electric grid and ensure its reliability, safety, security, affordability and environmental performance through 2040.

Meetings will include remarks from government officials, moderated panel discussions with public and private sector energy experts, and open microphone/public comment sessions. Meeting dates and locations are as follows.

• Atlanta, Georgia, March 31
• Boston, Massachusetts, April 15
• Salt Lake City, Utah, April 25
• Des Moines, Iowa, May 6
• Los Angeles, California, May 10
• Austin, Texas (date TBD)

Meeting times and agendas are TBD and will be published at http://energy.gov/qer when available.

DOE hosted the first QER 1.2 public meeting in Washington, DC on February 4, 2016. Government regulation including the EPA’s Clean Power Plan was part of the discussion. A transcript, video, background memo, and meeting summary of that meeting are available on the DOE website.

DOE is also accepting written comments on the QER 1.2, and those must be submitted to https://epsa.energy.gov/qer-comments/ by July 1, 2016. The American Coal Council plans to submit written comments highlighting our continuing concerns about the detrimental impacts of energy policy driven by regulation, and in particular the severe threats to affordable, reliable electricity posed by the Clean Power Plan.