U.S. Energy Secretary Says Warmington's Net-Zero Energy Plan A 'Horrifically Bad Idea'

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

“Just a horrifically bad idea.”

That’s how U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright described “net-zero” energy policies embraced by some of America’s bluest states, as well as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cinde Warmington.

And a new analysis of electricity prices finds the Democratic-led states that have embraced policies similar to Warmington’s tend to have some of the highest rates in the nation.

During a stop at the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative in Raymond last week, Wright told NHJournal that net-zero energy policies have added to energy costs but haven’t helped address climate concerns.

Net zero is “a colossally bad idea that costs 10 times more than any potential benefits,” Wright said. “Net zero has zero percent chance of happening, but the attempt to try to achieve it has just been the license to dramatically raise energy costs with no meaningful impact.”

And yet Warmington remains an advocate.

Warmington’s 2024 “CLEAN Energy Economy Future” called for New Hampshire to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. The plan included subsidies for electric vehicles and heat pumps, additional spending on public transportation, and expanded renewable-energy mandates.

Speaking to Pelham Democrats in June, Warmington said she was preparing to revive that proposal in her campaign against Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte.

“We put out a whole green energy economy plan in my last election,” Warmington said. “We’re tweaking that now, updated, and we’ll be putting that out.”

Warmington has yet to release an updated energy policy in her latest bid for governor, and she has refused to respond to more than a dozen requests from NHJournal for a price tag on her net-zero plan.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte has rejected net zero in favor of an “all-of-the-above” approach that prioritizes lower costs over climate policy.

“Opioid Lobbyist Cinde Warmington’s net-zero energy plan would make even Massachusetts liberals blush. Warmington’s plan would drive energy prices even higher, ban gas-powered vehicles, and MASS up New Hampshire,” the Ayotte campaign said in a statement. “It’s no surprise Warmington won’t put a price tag on her plan — she’s afraid to tell Granite Staters how much higher she’d drive up their bills.”

And, in fact, Massachusetts is one of the five states with the highest electricity prices — along with Hawaii, California, Connecticut and Rhode Island — that have adopted 100% clean-energy or economywide net-zero policies. All five also have Democratic governors.

The newly released “Blue States, High Rates” index indicates this is no coincidence.

Developed by the Institute for Energy Research and Always On Energy Research, the 50-state web tool compares electricity prices with renewable portfolio standards, cap-and-trade programs, net-metering requirements, limits on natural gas infrastructure and utility net-zero commitments.

Twelve of the 14 states with the highest electricity prices have adopted goals for 100% clean or carbon-free electricity, according to the Clean Energy States Alliance. Nine have also adopted explicit economywide net-zero or carbon-neutrality targets.

New Hampshire ranks ninth, largely because it’s part of the ISO New England grid and is forced to subsidize the green policies of its blue neighbors. At the same time, Massachusetts has blocked attempts to bring more natural gas to the region to generate more electricity and lower prices.

Warmington also opposes greater local access to natural gas.

During a recent interview with WMUR’s Adam Sexton, Warmington was asked whether she opposed those efforts “on principle” because of her commitment to net zero.

“I believe that we need to stop the addiction to fossil fuel,” Warmington answered. “We need a clean energy economy in this state, an investment in energy efficiency, in renewable energy.”

Warmington has argued that solar power is the fastest and least expensive option for bringing additional energy onto the grid.

“Solar energy is actually the lowest cost of energy available right now,” she told WMUR. “The wind blows, and the sun shines whether or not the Strait of Hormuz is closed.”

Wright addressed this argument in Raymond, pointing to Winter Storm Fern, which slammed into New England in January.

“We came very, very close to blackouts,” Wright said, citing the lack of natural gas supply.

“We were working 24/7, getting barges of oil here, hiring truckers to deliver oil.”

Why oil?

“During peak demand in that storm, just 2% of New England’s electricity came from wind, solar and batteries combined. We got 3% from burning trash and wood. Another 9% was hydro from Canada. The biggest source was burning oil because there’s not enough gas pipelines in New England, and during a storm like that, we have to divert the supply to heat homes instead of power plants.

“Burning oil was the No. 1 source of electricity,” Wright said. “Oil, natural gas and nuclear — that’s what kept the lights on.”

Ayotte doesn’t see restricting natural gas as a strategy to lower prices. Instead, her campaign says she pushed ISO New England to fast-track market rule changes to reduce unnecessary costs and partnered with New England governors in a letter urging FERC to reject a major profit increase for transmission utilities.

She also joined other New England states in calling for the return of more than $1.5 billion to ratepayers across the region after utilities were found to be overcharging customers, including $150 million to New Hampshire.

Wright says the biggest culprit in New England’s high energy costs is politics.

“This is an example of using politics to decide energy instead of what I think energy should be about, which is humans and math.”

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.